The Moves of the White Knight
by mlr96
Summary: Gideon left. Dean sold his soul for Sam. Things with Bobby are just not the same anymore. So when SSA Dave Rossi comes back to the BAU and says he knew my parents, I'm not quick to let him in. But things that are much bigger than family friends are ahead, and I can't face them alone. Part 2/4 on my Chess series. Will contain Spoilers for Supernatural and Criminal Minds seasons 3-5.
1. A Familiar Face

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Criminal Minds.  
**

* * *

**"There is nothing that can replace the absence of someone dear to us,  
and one should not even attempt to do so.  
One must simply hold out and endure it."  
Dietrich Bonhoeffer**

I drove the blue car down a deserted street in the outskirts of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and towards a car garage. I could see the men staring at me, but I didn't care. I wasn't allowed to care. I was a woman, they were all men, and fear is a privilege I did not have.

Two days ago, and a couple of states away, I lifted a woman's bag from under her nose. Inside, I found accessories, money, and the big jackpot – car keys. I've been on the road ever since, only stopping for the occasional meal and shower, until I reached here.

I pulled over at the entrance to the garage and looked at the place. It was early morning hours, so the place was near empty, other than the workers. I exited the car and headed towards the man who looked like he was in charge.

"Are you Johnny?" I asked.

He turned around and looked at me. "Depends who's asking."

Smart. Confident but not over-confident. Good-looking and knows it. Untrusting and, most important, not trust worthy.

"Rumor has it you deal with cars." I said calmly.

"I run a garage." He replied.

"Every _kind_ of cars." I added.

"Well, I'd love to know where you heard that rumor." He said, a dangerous glint to his eyes. "Maybe someone has to lose a tongue."

"A little bird whispered in my ear." I said, reaching my hand to shake. "Hailey Mercury."

"John Murphy." He said, taking the offered hand and, to my surprise, lifts it to his lips. "What is a beautiful young woman like you is doing in a place like that?"

"I need to replace my car." I replied.

"Go to a car agency." He said.

"Most agencies don't want my car."

"Too wrecked?" He asked with a smile.

"Too stolen." I said. "Now, you look like a guy who can take a stolen car and… let's say _fix_ it, before moving it forward."

The smile fell off his face. "Look, kiddo, I don't know who you are –"

"I'm no 'kiddo'." I replied. "I'm a costumer, and I'm serious about this. This car," I marked to where the blue car parked, "if I stay with it, I'm busted in a week. And I can't afford that to myself right now. Take it, fix it, and sell it for a profit. All I ask in return is a clean one."

"Why do you need a car for?"

I looked at him and thought for a moment before replying honestly.

"I need a place to sleep."

He looked me up and down. "Ran from home to study?" He asked and I nodded. "Come back tonight after closing. Ill fix something up for you."

That was a week before I started Harvard, and a week after I left home. I was alone back then. Not even nineteen years old, thin as a stick and all alone. But I was determined and not to be messed with.

I worked my ass off until I saved up enough to start renting a place, and then worked even harder to keep it. I spent every free moment I had studying, not only to keep my scholarship, but to be first in the class. I made close to no friends, had only been in one relationship that hadn't lasted long but we parted on good terms. All in all, I was all by myself.

As I was after Gideon left.

Yes, I had my team; Hotch and Garcia, who recently learned about the childhood I had, were very helpful at that end. Morgan, Prentiss, JJ and Reid were my friends above anything else. And Bobby spoke to me again! But Hotch and Garcia weren't really a part of the world I grew up in. Morgan, Prentiss, JJ and Reid didn't really know who I was. And my conversations with Bobby were short and case-related only, because he was busy helping the boys, who didn't want anything to do with me.

The boys. _My_ boys.

My twin brother Dean – my better half. Caring, considering, and on the road to self-destruction. Or maybe he's already reached his destination, when he sold his soul to save Sam. He got a year in return, and now Sam is trying to save him.

Sammy – only twenty four years old and already been through so much. Already _lost_ so much. And in six months, he will be alone. He wouldn't as much as answer when I called. I stopped trying.

It really shocked me that when it came to John's last wishes, I was the one who obeyed and Dean wasn't. he asked me to stay away from my brothers until Yellow-Eyes was out of the picture, and when my brothers killed the demon, John's spirit asked them to forgive me. But they didn't.

So there I was, all alone in the middle of the BAU when they informed us of the newest addition to our team – one named David Rossi.

"Bobby, it's me." I said. There was background noise from the other end of the line before he spoke.

"Sorry 'bout that." He said. "What do you need?"

"Can't I just call to say hello to my favorite uncle?"

"Don't call me uncle." He sighed. "You never call unless you need something. Not unless you're in a hospital."

A smile crossed my lips. "I need you to check a name for me." I said. "It rings a bell but I don't know where from."

"Go for it, Peanut." He said. "What's the name?"

"SSA David Rossi." I said.

I could hear his surprise from the other end of the line. "Where did you come across Dave?"

"Wait," I paused, "you know him?"

"'Course I know him." Bobby replied. "Ex-hunter. Brought me cases from time to time. He was around quite often when you were a kid." Bobby paused. "John didn't like him much."

"John didn't like a lot of people." I said. "What about you?"

"He's a good guy." Bobby said, avoiding my question. "Gets the job done."

"But…?" I asked, hearing Bobby's tone.

"But he used your father as bait once."

I gasped. "Quite a 'but', Bobby."

"He gets the job done without casualties." Bobby said harshly. "That's what you need to know. Why are you asking me this, anyway?"

"Well, they've finally told us who they brought in to replace Gideon." I said. "Three guesses who."

"That bastard." Bobby said, the smile clear in his voice.

"I know." I said, by far less amused. Out the corner of my eye I saw Reid entering the bullpen area, wearing a Frankenstein mask. "I gotta go."

"'Course you do." Bobby sighed.

"I'll call you later." I smiled. "Take care." I added and hung up.

I go and sit down, laughing with Emily at the way Morgan jumped in fear when Reid scared him.

"To paraphrase from Celtic mythology," Reid said, "tomorrow night all order is suspended, and the barriers between the natural and the supernatural are temporarily removed!"

Emily smiled but I didn't so much. I have enough supernatural in normal days, I don't need any more, thank you very much.

"See, that right there is why Halloween creeps me out." Morgan said.

"You're scared of Halloween?" I asked.

"I didn't say I was scared," Morgan protested, "I said I was creeped out. There's a difference there, youngsters. You should look it up."

"What creeps you out about it?" Prentiss asked.

"I don't know." Morgan shrugged. "People wearing masks. I don't like folks in disguises."

"I get you there, man." I sighed.

"That's the best thing about Halloween." Reid said. "You can be anyone you want to be."

"Nah, I'm pretty good just being me." Morgan said.

"Yeah, why is it that neither of those points of view surprise me?" Prentiss asked with a smile. "Except for yours, Chessi, you look like someone who would love Halloween."

"I never liked it." I said. "I mean, from what little I experienced as a child. We didn't really do all those holidays in my family."

"You know what, though?" Morgan asked. "On the flip side, it does provide a pretty good reason to cozy up with a scary flick and a little Halloween honey."

"Halloween honey." Prentiss said as I pretended to puke. "Now _I'm_ creeped out."

"Guys," Reid said, looking above our heads, "he's here."

We all looked up to see who I assumed was Agent Rossi walking up with Strauss. Reid took off the mask that was still on his head as they walked past us and into Hotch's office. Rossi gave us a short, fake-looking smile, and seemed to leave his eyes on me longer than on the others.

_You're imagining it._ I told myself. _There's no way he'd recognize you as John's daughter._

We tried not to stare at them too much as they talked and when JJ came out and passed us, we pretended to be busy with paperwork. It was less than five minutes before they came out and approached us.

"SSA David Rossi," Hotch began, "this is SSA Prentiss."

"Sir." Emily said politely.

"SSA Morgan."

"It's an honor, Agent Rossi." Morgan said.

"Please," Rossi said humbly, "just Dave."

"SSA Chess."

"Chessi's fine." I say with a smile.

"And Dr. Spencer Reid."

"Sir, if I could talk to you later about your work with the Scarsdale skinner. Psycho-linguistics is an incredibly dynamic field, and the fact that your profile of his reading habits ultimately led to his capture - is something I find so incredibly intrig –"

"Reid, slow down." Hotch said with a smile. "He'll be here for a while. You can catch up with him later."

"Sorry." Reid said.

"No problem, Doctor." Rossi said.

"Maybe you guys can talk on the jet." I offered.

"Oh, yeah," Reid said excitedly, "that'd be great."

"The jet?" Rossi asked.

"We have a jet now." Hotch said.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah. It comes in pretty handy." I said.

"Come on," said Hotch, "JJ's waiting."

We walked to the round room, where JJ was giving away papers on the desks. She started explaining but I only half-listened. Someone had raped and killed a woman, after he played mind games with her and posted missing signs with her face on.

Just as the screen showed the picture of the woman's dead body, face cut off, Garcia barged in.

"Oh my god!" She called, using the files in her hand to block the view. "What is that?"

"Technical analyst Penelope Garcia, this is SSA David Rossi." Hotch said, but Garcia clearly wasn't listening.

"Is it gone, JJ?" She asked.

"Yeah." JJ said, pressing a button and making the images disappear from the screen. "You're safe."

"Okay," Garcia sighed in relief. "Just, you, um…" She started giving information about the town the murder occurred in, but I didn't pay attention. All along, to the rest of the briefing, I watched only Rossi's face, checking his responses to anything that was said. When Hotch suggested he'd start working with the team on the next case, Rossi refused immediately. We got up and walked towards the parking lot.

"Hey, Morgan!" I called. "What to join me on Darlin'?"

"Sure thing, doll-face." Morgan said with a smile and I could see Rossi raises a brow at us.

Honestly, I couldn't care less.

* * *

We were giving the profile. Nothing special, just like we did a hundred of times before. Rossi wasn't there, but I didn't mind – he wasn't helpful anyway, what with his small notebooks and the thoughts he kept to himself. It's better off without him.

Oh, was I ever mistaken.

We hadn't even finished delivering the profile when we saw the news on the TV screen – the media had found out about the masks.

"JJ." Hotch said. "How'd they get that?

"Not from me." JJ said. "I, Hotch, I called all the local police departments and I stressed withholding the mask."

"I called them." Rossi said, walking into the room.

"What?" Hotch asked, surprised and amazed.

"I told them the FBI thinks the masks mean he's impotent."

We all stared at him for a moment, but Hotch seemed to be the first one out of his trance.

"Can I speak to you for a second?" He asked, and then took Rossi aside.

"Do you think he really did that?" Reid asked.

"Must be really stupid if he did." Morgan replied.

"Or a freaking genius." Prentiss said.

"I still don't understand why they had to bring somebody new in." I scowled. "We are doing fine, we don't need another member. Surely not one who keeps his thoughts to himself in that stupid notebook."

"Yeah, but, come on." Reid said. "The guy's brilliant."

"Is he?" Morgan asked. "I didn't get to see it yet."

"And I doubt it if we ever will." I added, just as JJ's phone rang.

"Garcia, you're on speaker." She said.

"Is everyone there?" Garcia asked. "You're gonna want to hear this."

JJ went to call Hotch and Rossi and we all sat around the table in the Police Department's conference room. All except Rossi, that is.

"Garcia, talk to us." Morgan said and Garcia started firing information.

"So, Michelle Colucci recently drew up the plans for a remodel of 3 floors of a company called Techco Communications." She said. "It's a high-tech communications company in downtown Dallas."

"And Enid White?" Hotch asked.

"Worked there until 2 months ago."

Detective Yarbrough entered the room, sever looking and worried.

"He's on 2." He said.

"The Unsub?"

"Demanded to speak to the FBI."

Rossi looked at us all before going to the table and pressing the button to receive the call.

"This is FBI Supervisory Special Agent David Rossi." He said.

"You called me impotent." A hoarse voice came from the speaker.

"Did I?" Rossi asked, sounding almost amused.

"I'm _not_ impotent."

"Why are you whispering?" Rossi asked.

"You lied." The Unsub said. "You lied."

"Is someone around you?" Rossi continued. "Are you at work?"

"You have to tell the news the truth." The Unsub said. It seemed as if the two of them are simply ignoring each other and I hoped Rossi had an actual plan – one that would keep Enid White alive.

"I'll get you on the news, and then you can correct me yourself." Rossi offered.

"No, you," the Unsub sounded stressed, "you, you correct it."

"By the way," Rossi said, "I was, um, looking at the police security tapes for the day Michelle Colucci went missing."

We all looked at him with surprise. I didn't know there were police security tapes to look at. Clearly, so did the Unsub.

"What?"

"You watched her long enough to know she didn't have visitors." Rossi said. "She was a loner. Yet you knew that detective Yarbrough was coming over. You must have been right here in this station when he told her. Now, your face is gonna be on one of those tapes, and when I find it, I'm going to paper this city with it, just like you did with those women." His voice became dangerously cold. "Everyone will see it. They won't be able to ignore you now. But you won't inspire fear," he said, "you'll inspire hatred and ridicule, because the only power someone like you has is a _mask_, and once that mask is removed, you'll be as insignificant as you've always been. A _loser_!"

There was silence at the other end of the line as we all waited to hear the Unsub's response. The tension was so thick you could cut through it with a knife. Finally, the man on the other end of the line spoke.

"You just signed Enid White's death warrant."

There was the sound of something being thrown at the other end of the line, and the call disconnected.

* * *

The case ended that day. Less than an hour later, Rossi shot the Unsub. By the end of the day, Enid White was rescued. We got on the Jet and arrived at the BAU at the early hours of the next morning.

We reached Quantico at 4am, local time. I remembered promising Reid to come to his place to watch a movie. I thought it had something to do with Halloween but couldn't recall which movie or why I agreed.

Walking to my desk to fill some paperwork on the case, I thought about what happened with Rossi earlier.

He did something terribly reckless and dangerous but it worked for him. He put innocent people in the line of fire, he ignored the rest of the group - he was a typical hunter who goes by 'trust nobody, work alone' method. But it worked for him.

I started understanding what Bobby said about him and when I recalled the event he told me about when Rossi used John as a bait, I wasn't surprised.

It described the man perfectly.

While we were doing paperwork, Rossi talked to Hotch and he came out just as Reid and I were done.

I stopped and looked at him for a moment, he stared right back at me and we both observed each other.

"Diana, are you coming?" Reid asked from near the elevator and I turned and nodded at him, turning to walk away when Rossi spoke.

"Diana, of course." I froze. "I knew you looked familiar." He smiled fondly at me. It was the first sign of affection –of _emotion_ \- he showed since he joined the team. "Diana Winchester. I served with your dad in Vietnam."

"It's Chess now." I said coldly.

"Is it?" He asked. "Shame. Winchester suits you better. Speaking of which, how's John?"

"Dead." I said emotionlessly and exited the room unceremoniously, Reid following close after.

"You know him?" He asked.

"Kinda." I replied. "I checked up on him, case the name sounded familiar, apparently he was around when I was a child. I don't remember him, though."

"So can you tell us more about him?" Reid asked eagerly.

Unlike me he wasn't disturbed by the stranger that joined our team for no real reason, he was actually intrigued by him. He wanted to know all he could about the man who was a path maker in profiling, one of the first members of the BAU and the man who wrote the books he knows by heart.

Then again, he couldn't see the hunter that was hidden behind the agent, like I did. And hunters never meant anything good.

"Not much to tell." I shrugged. "Apparently he'd pop by from time to time, stay for less than an hour and leave. I don't even know what they talked about."

"They?"

"Rossi, Bobby, John."

"Rossi knows Bobby?" Reid asked, surprised. "How did they meet?"

"I don't know!" I called, annoyed. "John, probably. Rossi said they served together. Listen," I said, hoping I could make him stop, "there's no way he came after I was ten, otherwise I'd remember him."

"Do you know why he stopped coming?" He asked, curious.

"No, Spence, I don't." I sighed. "Can we stop talking about it? Please?"

Spencer was quiet. "Sorry." He finally spoke. "I know you don't like talking about your childhood."

I was silent for a minute or two before whispering, "I don't know what's worst, when I think of the bad memories," I looked at him, ashamed, "or the good ones."

"If you need something, I'm here for you, you know." He replied. "You can tell me everything."

I smiled sadly. "If only that was true."

He looked a bit put down so I put my hand in his and started walking away.

"Come on!" I said. "We have a scary flick to watch. After all, I wouldn't miss a chance to watch you scream in a lifetime!"

"Very funny." He said, but smiled anyway. "Miss 'Nothing-Can-Scare-Me'. I bet you could live _inside_ a horror movie and still not as much as blink."

"If I'm a character at a scary flick, who am I?" I wondered aloud.

"Um…" Reid pretended to think before replying. "The monster."

"Touché." I said. "Does that mean I can pick the movie?"

"No, thank you." Reid shivered from the mere thought. "I'd like to sleep this _year_, if you don't mind."

"Considering I'm the one you're gonna call at 1am, have it your way." I said, and we both laughed.

I turned to look behind me and saw Rossi standing there, looking after me with a heartbroken look on his face. I could only wonder what my dad had really meant to him, and what had happened that made him suddenly care _now_.

* * *

**A/N:**** Part 2 is finally up! I am _so_ excited about it!**

**I wanted to say a special thank you to all of those who read this, I love you all 3**

**This part will include seasons 3-5 of both series, and that means SPOILERS so if you don't like spoilers, be warned.**

**Also, in this part we will have 3 important new characters. You can see the first one in this chapter already, care to guess who the second and third ones will be?**

**So that was it, the chapter, tell me how you like it.**


	2. Those You Thought You Knew

**A/N:****I wanted to thank you all for your support. For the first 24 hours, my mailbox was bursting wih emails about Favs, Followers and Reviews so I LOVE YOU ALL!**

**Enjoy this chapter. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Criminal Minds.**

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**"The fascination of shooting as a sport  
depends almost wholly on whether you are  
at the right or wrong end of the gun."  
P.G. Wodehouse, ****_The Adventures of Sally_**

I managed to avoid Rossi for about a week. I'd stick to other people so that he wouldn't be able to talk to me, partnered with the other members of the team whenever I could and fled the room if there was nobody there except for the two of us.

"Why don't you like Rossi?" Garcia asked one day, when I was helping get ready for the date she was having that night, with this guy named James.

"I don't… not like him." I said, and she raised a brow at me. "Okay, so I don't like him. So what? I'm allowed to not like people."

"What has he done to you?"

"He hasn't _done_ anything. He just…" I sighed, and came to a decision. If Garcia knows about hunters, there's no reason she wouldn't know Rossi's a hunter, right? "He's a hunter." I said. "He knew John and Bobby and he's a hunter. And I, I don't trust hunters. They're all fine until it comes to them or you and then they'll stab you in the back. You can only trust hunters if they're family."

"That's not a very optimistic way to think." Garcia said as I brushed her hair.

"That's not a very optimistic world." I replied. "It's realistic, and so am I."

"Maybe you should try optimistic." Garcia said thoughtfully. "Way more fun."

"There's only one thing I'm gonna be optimistic about." I said, turning her so that she could see her reflection in the mirror. "You are going to have the best date of your life tonight."

"Oh, Chessi." Garcia whispered. "Thank you."

"Uh-ah." I said. "No tearing, it will ruin your make up and I worked too hard on that."

"He should pick me up in about five minutes." She said, glancing at the clock. "What are you going to do tonight?"

"I have an important date with your Doctor Who Collection." I said. "It about damn time I will watch this show you and Reid won't shut up about."

"Well, you have three seasons to watch," Garcia said, picking up her purse and heading to the door, "I expect you to be done by the time I'm back."

"Yes, ma'am." I said jokingly. "Have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't."

"I won't." She promised with a smile, and walked away.

I settled in front of the TV and started watching the show. At first, it seemed weird and bizarre, but the more I watched, the more I learned to appreciate the weirdness of it and it wasn't long until I fell in love.

I was somewhere between season two and season three when it happened, searching for something called a "Christmas Special" that I was warned I _must_ see or my life would be in danger. At first, I thought I imagined it, but then I looked out the window and saw the familiar figure lying on the stairs.

I left what I was doing and ran down to the street. I leaned on top of her and started CPR.

"Garcia!" I called. "Penny, come on, stay with me. Stay with me, Penny." I stopped what I was doing, scared to cause more damage and pulled out my phone.

"911, what is your emergency?"

"This is Supervisory Special Agent Chess, I'm outside the apartment of one of my fellow agents who's just been shot."

"What is your address, ma'am?"

I told her the address and she promised an ambulance was on its way.

"Thank you." I said. "Please hurry up."

I hung up the phone and tried to remember everything I learned about gun-wounds.

"Apply pressure." I told myself, putting my hands on her stomach and pressing until the paramedics arrived. "I was inside." I told them. "I heard the shot, but… I didn't see anything."

They started talking in medical language, spitting out terms I couldn't understand and trying to get her to comment.

"Is she gonna make it?" I asked, tears starting to pour on my face. "She's… she's my friend. Please tell me she's gonna make it."

"Ma'am." One of the officers said, pulling me aside, but I fought him, not wanting to step away."

"Her name is Penelope." I said.

"Ma'am," one of the Medics said, "please." I obliged and the officer looked relieved. "Thank you." The Medic said and I walked away with the cop.

"Ma'am, did you hear anything?" He asked.

"A gunshot." I said and he looked surprised. "I'm an FBI agent, she is, too. She's, she's my friend."

From behind me, I heard Garcia mumbling her name and sighed in relief.

"We work for the BAU." I said. "Our supervisor is SSA Aaron Hotchner."

"We're taking her to the hospital." Someone said and my head turned towards him.

"I'm coming. You can question me later," I told the officer, "I will answer all your questions but right now you need to let me in."

The officer looked at the paramedics and when one of them nodded in consent, I walked after them and entered the Ambulance. Garcia's hand opened and closed and I reached to hold it without hesitation, and relaxed as I felt it press back to me.

She hyperventilated and I freaked out, but I knew better than to try to say something. So I moved aside to let them do their work, not letting go of Garcia's hand for a moment.

We arrived at the hospital and they immediately took her out and towards the OR, leaving me to wait alone in the waiting room, my hands and shirt still dirty with her blood.

I fell on one of the couches and held my head in my hands until JJ and Hotch arrived. I looked up at them for a moment, and then curled back to a ball, letting them ask the doctors all the questions they want to know.

Reid came shortly after, and Prentiss and Rossi followed not long after. I could hear them talk with one another, but didn't comprehend the words they were saying. The scent of blood surrounded me, and I couldn't help but think that if I didn't panic, if I'd remember what to do, I could've helped more.

She could've had better chances.

"Where's Morgan?" Someone asked.

"He's not answering his cell."

"I'll call him again." Reid said, and walked out.

"What aren't you telling?" Rossi asked Hotch.

"I spoke to one of the paramedics who brought her in." Hotch said. "It doesn't look good."

"Chessi?" Prentiss asked, nearing me and putting her hand on my shoulder.

I jumped from the touch and looked at her with bloodshot eyes. "Don't touch me!" I screamed, pulling away from her and trying to avoid the rest of the team's looks. "Don't touch me." I started mumbling from my seat. "Don't touch me, don't touch me, _don't_ touch me."

"They can't update me yet." JJ said.

"Morgan's phone just keeps going straight to voicemail." Reid added.

"Where the hell is he?"

JJ and Prentiss sat across from me, holding each other's hands for comfort. Reid sat next to me, and I was grateful he didn't attempt on anything of that sort, for my hands were still dirty with Penelope's blood.

An unknown amount of time passed before Morgan arrived. I was still right where I was, curled to a ball on one of the chairs. Nobody tried to touch me after Prentiss, but I still flinched whenever they got too close.

"She's been in surgery a couple hours." I think it was Hotch.

"I was at church." Morgan said, sounding worried. "My phone was off."

"There's nothing you could have done being here." Reid said weakly.

"The police got any leads?"

"I spoke to the lead detective." Hotch said gloomily. "He doesn't think we'll get anything from the scene."

Morgan turned in anger and started pacing just as the doctor stepped out and walked towards us. "Penelope Garcia?"

Everybody except for me jumped to their feet. "Yes?"

"The bullet went in her chest and ricocheted into her abdomen." He said. "She lost a lot of blood. It was touch-and-go for a while, but we were able to repair the injuries."

"So what are you saying?" JJ asked, worried.

"One centimeter over and it would have torn right through her heart. Instead, she could actually walk out of here in a couple of days. And I'd say that's a minor miracle. She needs her rest. You can see her in the morning." He then turned to look at me. "Miss Chess, right?"

I nodded slowly bringing my eyes to his.

"You did great work over there, applying pressure on the wound." He said. "I think it's safe to say you saved your friend's life."

My mind was trying to comprehend what he was saying but only got bits of this or that. I nodded again, hoping that was reaction enough before he stepped away.

The team started talking about what they should do next, and I assumed Rossi and Hotch were to go to the crime scene, because they walked away while everybody stayed where they are.

"Chessi?" Morgan asked cautiously, stepping towards me.

"I was at her place." I whispered. "I… I heard the shot. I thought I imagined it so I looked out the window, just in time to see him disappear behind the corner. I could've gone after him, I _should've_."

"You saved her life." Reid said softly.

"There was so much blood." I said. "I never thought about it. I… I took care of knife wounds before. Beating wounds. Even… even claws. But I never saw someone getting shot." I added. "There was just so much blood."

"Why were you there?" Morgan asked.

"I helped her getting ready for the date, and then stayed so she could tell me how it went." Tears rose to my eyes. "I told her it would be the best date she had ever had."

A warm hand was put on top of mine and I didn't try pulling it away. Morgan slowly brought me to my feet and took me to the bathroom, where he cleaned my face and hands from the blood. He borrowed a shirt from someone and waited while I threw my dirty one away before taking me back to where the rest of the team was waiting impatiently.

"She's awake." JJ said. "We wanted to wait for you before we came in."

"Are you up for it?" Morgan asked and I nodded shortly before we stepped in and surrounded Garcia's bed.

"Hi." She said, looking between us. "No tears. I'm afraid if I start crying I'll come unstapled."

"How are you feeling?" Morgan asked.

"Oh, confused, stupid, and in pain." She replied.

"Are you up for some questions?" JJ asked.

"I never saw it coming." Garcia whispered. "He seemed deliciously normal."

"You know him?" Reid asked and she turned to look at Morgan.

"You were right." She told him. "I should have trusted it."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's that guy I told you about." She said and my heart dropped in my chest. "The one I met at the coffee shop. I wanted to believe he was interested in me."

"Forget that." Morgan said, but she ignored him.

"I let my guard down."

"Do you have any idea why he would have done this?" Prentiss asked.

"Did he threaten you? Did he want something?" Reid offered.

"I just thought he liked me." Her voice broke and I stepped forward and held her hand, just like I did at the ambulance.

"Ok. Um we're gonna…" JJ looked between us all. "We're gonna come back in a little while."

"We need a name." I said softly, pressing her hand for reassurance.

"James Colby Baylor."

Everybody stepped out and I intended to follow when she held my hand tighter.

"Don't let go." She said.

"Okay." I replied, tears choking in my throat.

"You're wearing different clothes." She observed.

"I had to change." I said. "The other ones were dirty from… from…" I looked at my feet.

"Can you promise me something?" She asked.

"Anything." I said.

"Don't talk to me like a victim, all right?"

I looked at the sadness in her eyes and realized just how much it meant to her.

"We won't." I promised. "Never."

* * *

Four days passed, with no lead whatsoever. Everywhere we tried looking turned out to be a dead end, and I was getting more frustrated as days passed by. That morning, I took out all of the cold cases in the area that involved a firearm from the last three years and started going through them, one by one.

"What are you doing?" Prentiss asked, coming to sit next to me.

"The Unsub…" I said, closing a file that involved gangs and looking into one about a woman who was murdered inside her apartment, with no signs of breaking in found in the scene. "He knew exactly what he was doing, he might've done this before."

"You're thinking serial killer?"

"I'm thinking I would take whatever works for me right now." I sighed, putting the case-file down on the table. "We're getting nowhere."

Prentiss sighed. "Chessi, you need to give yourself a break."

"I can't." I said. "Not while he's out there, not while Garcia's still in danger."

"We don't know if she's really in danger." She noted.

"When have you ever heard of a serial killer who lets a victim get loose?" I asked.

"We don't know if this is a serial killer." Prentiss said.

"I do." I replied. "I just… I know it, alright?" She opened he mouth to reply but I ignored her. "I need to work." I said. "We've got a killer on the loose."

She looked at me sadly and walked out the room. I kept going through cold cases, one after the other. Some were immediately ruled out as hunts and some as gang wars, but I made a small pile of cases that might be connected to this one. About an hour later, I heard a soft knock on the door.

"Emily, I told you to go away." I said.

"I'm not Emily." Rossi replied. "Though I suppose you can see the resemblance."

I looked at him. "What do you want?"

"To talk." He replied.

"Tough luck." I said, bringing my attention back to the files.

"Is John really dead?"

"Yes." I said coldly, not bothering to look at him. "Nearly a year ago."

"I heard the rumors, I guess I just didn't want to believe." He sighed. "How are you coping?"

"Why would you care?"

"I..." He hesitated before replying. "I knew your mother."

I paused, but didn't look at him. Slowly, I turned the page in the file I was now entirely unable to read and pretended not to care. "Did you?" I asked in disbelief. "And _how_ did you know her, if you don't mind me asking?

"She came from a family of hunters and so did I." He said. "Our fathers were friends."

I dropped the forgotten file on the table. "My mom was _not_ a hunter."

"She was." Rossi replied.

"No. She wasn't." I repeated, and turned to stand up when he caught my arm.

"Trust me, Diana." He said. "I knew her."

"No. You didn't." I said. "Now let go of me."

"Diana-"

"No." I said again. "Get this clear into your mind. My mom was not a hunter. You don't know her, and you don't know _me_. So back off, and don't try to patronize me."

I took his hand off and headed out.

"We've been ordered to stop working the case." He said.

"_What?_" I asked. "Why?"

"Some encrypted files on Garcia's computer." He said.

"No, no, no." I said. "If she's in trouble because of me…"

"Why would she be in trouble because of you?"

"She knows." I said. "And so does Hotch and Strauss. A demon tried to attack me a couple months back and I had no choice but to tell them."

"You think this might be connected?" He asked.

"I have no idea." I admitted, walking out of the room. "But if it does, I need to fix this."

I walked into the conference room just in time to hear an unfamiliar man asking Prentiss and JJ, "What do you know about _how_ she was recruited to the BAU?"

"She hacked the systems." I said and the three of them looked at me with surprise. "She studied with Ash at Caltech." I shrugged.

"Right, I heard you are in contact with Asher." The man said. "He went off our radar for a while, do you happen to know why?"

"I do."

"Care to share with the rest of us?" He asked.

"Not really." I replied. "What were you saying about Garcia?"

He looked at me for a little while before explaining how after she hacked their records, they gave her a choice – join them, or go to jail. Then, the man took the box filled with the investigation files –_ our investigation files_ –and walked away. Prentiss and JJ jumped on me.

"Ash!" They called. "Call him, he can help us!"

"No, he can't." I said, heart aching from the still fresh wound.

"Why not?" JJ asked, confused.

"Because he's dead."

They looked at me, surprised.

"I'm sorry." Prentiss said. "We didn't know."

"It's fine." I said. "It's not like I told you or anything."

"So we've got nothing?" JJ asked.

"I wouldn't say nothing." I replied. "I think I'm starting to see a pattern between the cases I'm looking at. Hopefully I'll get something in a couple of hours."

"Go get some sleep in the meanwhile." Prentiss said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "You haven't slept since she was shot."

"I will." I lied, walking towards the exit only to change direction at the last minute and sit back in the room with the files.

I am so close to a breakthrough, I can't afford distractions.

* * *

"Where were you?" Rossi asked me when he walked into the room I sat in, reading files. "Why didn't you answer the phone?"

"I'm so close." I said. "I can't stop now."

"The guy made another attempt on Garcia." He said. "She needed you for comfort and you weren't there!"

"I'm just finishing." I mumbled. "I got three, maybe four cases."

"What are you even doing?" Rossi sighed.

"Marking cases with similarities to this one."

He looked at me. "Call Reid, now."

"One moment." I whispered.

"Now, Chess. I'm your boss and that's an order."

I rolled my eyes and took my phone from where I threw it so it would stop bugging me. I called Reid and put him on speaker.

"Can Garcia hear me?" Rossi asked once Spencer answered.

"Yes, she can." Garcia said in a voice, which was slightly missing her usual cheerfulness.

"Chess, read the case names to her."

I told the names of the three cases I was down to and I could hear her gasp.

"Those are the cases!" She called. "Chessi, how did you know?"

"Know what?" I asked.

"That those are the cases I marked!"

I looked at Rossi, confused. "I'll explain later." He promised. "For now, what do all of those cases have in common?"

I looked at them thoughtfully before replying. "The same deputy responded to all three cases." I said. "Jason Clark Battle."

"That must be our guy." I heard Morgan say. I heard ticking from the other end of the line and could only assume Garcia was pulling the photo I was now looking at. "Is that him?"

"Yeah." Garcia said weakly and I walked out of the room.

My hunch didn't wrong me. I walked to the bullpen area and saw the man standing there, talking to this new technical analyst they brought in place of Garcia. I could see Hotch walking out of his office, looking at him and talking on his phone, with Garcia, most likely, though I wasn't sure. Rossi came after me and the both of us pulled out guns as he grabbed the nearest agent and pointed the gun to his head.

"You're a cop." Rossi said. "You know this isn't gonna end well."

"You're standing in the middle of the FBI Headquarters." Hotch said.

"You think I'm afraid of the FBI?" Battle asked, a frantic look in his eyes.

"I know how this is gonna end, and so do you."

"I'm a decorated officer." Battle said.

"That's right." I said. "And this is not how you want to be remembered. You're in control here. You write the ending. Your choice."

"The best minds in the FBI." He replied. "You can't even stop me."

And then, many things happened at once. Battle moved his gun from the agent and pointed it at me, Rossi stood before me as human shield, a shot was heard and Battle's lifeless body fell to the floor. From behind him, I could see JJ standing, her hands shaking, and her gun still clenched between them.

I stumbled backwards with fear and surprise, and then looked at Rossi.

"You…" I mumbled. "You were willing to take a bullet for me?"

"Yes." He said.

"Why did you do that?" I asked. "You weren't in the line of fire. Battle didn't see you as a threat, you weren't in any danger at all. Why did you risk yourself for me?"

"I told you." He sighed. "I knew Mary. I served with John"

"A hell of a lot of people knew my parents." I replied. "None of them puts themselves in danger for me."

"I listen to the Hunters' radio." Rossi explained. "Rumor has it that John is dead and that Dean sold his soul for Sam."

"Last I checked rumor has it that I'm dead." I restored. "You shouldn't listen to everything you hear."

"But it's true, isn't it?" He asked and I avoided his gaze. "John died in a car crash. Sam was killed by Yellow-Eyes and Dean brought him back, getting only a year in return. How much longer does he have?"

"Five months."

"And you're not coping, are you?" He eyed me. "Have you even tried to contact them?"

"I did." I said, annoyed. "They made it very clear they're not interested."

"But it's up to you, too." Rossi said. "You could've insisted, could've tried harder. You're shutting the world out in your stubbornness."

"And if I am?" I asked. "Why do you care, what do you mind? Why am I so important to you?"

"I made a promise to look out for you." He replied.

"Well, break it!" I said, enraged.

"I can't." He said.

"Why?" I asked.

"I made a promise in the name of God."

I rolled my eyes. "What does that even supposed to mean?"

"I'm..." he looked somewhere between embarrassed and ashamed, "I'm your godfather."

I stared at him. "Doing a pretty shitty job, aren't you?" I asked in a poisonous tone and he looked surprised. "What?" I asked. "Did you expect some sort of happy reunion? 'Oh, Dave, I'm so glad you came to help me!' Sorry, I don't do chick flicks."

"Alright. No... chick flicks then." He hesitated. "But I can tell you want to know about your mother."

I paused for a moment. "One question: Was she really a hunter?"

"She was." Rossi replied. "And she wanted out of the life. She did, for a while, with John."

"For a while." I repeated. "Until she didn't."

"The last thing she wanted was for her kids to be hunters." Rossi continued. "And you made it. You're out of the life."

"You're never out of the life." I said grimly. "Not for real. Not when you're a Winchester."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked.

"There's a demon after me." I said. "The same demon that is holding Dean's contract. And I don't know what she wants from me," I added, "but it can't be good."

* * *

**Review!**


	3. Seeing Beyond

****A/N:******** This is probably the longest chapter I have ever written... When I started writing it, I actually thought I won't be able to fill a chapter so I wrote an extra scene that I didn't even like... But then I finished and I saw I'm over 6k words so I deleted it.****

****Tell me how you like it!****

****PS: Would you like me to insert Rossi's POV or general POV from now to then?****

****Warning:******** This chapter inclludes physical and mental torture, rape and description of death.****

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Criminal Minds.**

* * *

**"A lie that is half-truth is the darkest of all lies."  
Alfred Tennyson**

I built myself some sort of routine. Helping Garcia heal, watching Doctor Who with Reid, talking to JJ about the guy she's dating and sparring with Morgan at least once a week.

I wasn't not that cold to Rossi any more, but I still found it difficult to talk to him, too many open wounds are to be picked at and messed with. We ate lunch together occasionally, and he shared childhood memories of him and my mother.

She was two years older than him, he told me, but she never held it against him. They'd only meet occasionally, when his family would go to Lawrence, because her family never left the town.

"Your mother was one of those people who would make any dark room look just the tiniest bit less gloom." He said, and when I raised a brow at that, he told me their relationship was never romantic. "Our fathers pushed us in that direction, more than once. But we were just friends, and alright with it. I was the first she told about John, and even offered my help in helping them run away."

"Why didn't they?" I asked, eager for any kind of information about my parents.

"Samuel and Deanna died." Rossi said, and we fell silent.

That's how most of the conversations ended – someone died, got wounded or was grounded for disobeying orders. Funny to think that hunter fathers are alike everywhere and in every time.

Days passed and I counted backwards. Four months.

Three.

I drifted away from the hunters I was in contact with, counting on Rossi to pass on the cases that needs to be passed on.

When I'm down to only two and a half months until the payday arrives, I got a phone call from someone I haven't spoken to in years. It was not a relaxing call, either.

"You need to come here."

These five words cut like knives into my heart, when I heard Missouri say them.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I..." She sighed. "I can't talk about this over the phone."

"Is it Dean?"

"No." She said and I let out a relieved sigh before a worst scenario came to my mind and my heart skipped a beat.

"Sam? Bobby?"

"They're alright." Missouri relaxed me. "Everyone's fine."

"Then what is it?" I asked, confused.

She sighed again. "You'll understand when you get here."

"I'm on my way." I said, realizing it must be important and run to Hotch's office.

"Briefing is still twenty minutes away." He said, not taking his eyes off the paperwork he was dealing with.

"That's the thing." I said. "I need a couple of days off."

"What happened?" He looked up at me, worried. "Is everyone alright?"

"Yeah, it's just..." I didn't know what to say. _How am I supposed to explain it, if I don't know myself? _"I have some personal matters to deal with."

"Family-related personal business?" He asked. "Because those seem to be life-threatening."

"It's probably not life-threatening." I replied.

"_Probably_?"

I shrugged. "It's still me we're talking about." I said. "I'm going to meet a family friend who needs my help. Should be alright."

Hotch thought for a minute and then nodded. "Take as long as you need."

I walked to my desk and took my keys, intending to hop straight on Darlin' and head towards Lawrence, but I was interrupted by Reid.

"Where are you going?" He asked worryingly.

"Going to visit a family friend." I said. "Should be back in a couple of days."

"Is she the one who just called you?"

Damn. I didn't think he noticed.

"Yeah." I replied shortly.

"And you're just gonna drive all the way to… wherever she lives just because she asked?" Morgan asked.

"She's like family to me." I said. "I kept in contact with her even after I ran from home, and she didn't tell John." _Or, at least, I don't think she did._ I thought bitterly, but didn't say. "I owe her that much. I'll see you in a couple of days." I added, and walked out of the building before he could interrogate me any longer.

I drove to Lawrence, thoughts occupying my mind about returning to the town I was born in. I haven't been there since that day when I was almost four years old, and Azazel burnt my mother on the ceiling of Sam's nursery.

_You can do it._ I kept telling myself. _You are strong, and you can do it. Azazel is gone. That house is just a house. And besides, Missouri needs you so it doesn't matter._

I stopped at a convenience store a couple of miles outside Lawrence under the excuse of needing to buy myself something to eat when I was actually procrastinating the moment when I needed to enter the town.

"It's just a town." I told myself, walking out of the store and towards Darlin'. I was so occupied in my thoughts I didn't notice the man leaning on it until I was right next to it.

"Nice ride." He said.

"Thanks." I replied coldly, staring at him and waiting for him to move.

He didn't. Instead, he asked, "Ducati, isn't it?"

"Yeah." I said. "Scrambler model '71. And I'd really like it back, if you don't mind."

"What's the hurry?" He asked.

"I'm meeting with a friend." I said.

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you were a bit late." He said with a smile. "I'm Jonathan, by the way. And you?"

"None of your business." I said. "Now move or I'm calling the cops."

"I really don't think you will." He said, pulling out a gun and pointing it at me. "Come with me quietly, or I'll shoot the pretty girl at the store."

I glanced behind me at the cashier who was talking on her phone, clueless as to what was happening right outside the store. She laughed at something the person on the other end of the line said, her eyes shining. She couldn't have been more than 20 years old.

Wordlessly, I looked at the man who referred to himself as Jonathan. He nodded towards a white car, which parked nearby, and I sat inside, giving him my bag in response to his harsh glare.

He threw the bag aside to one of the bushes and entered the driver's seat. When we were both seated, he reached a hand into his pocket and pulled out a small syringe. My eyes widened in fear but he stuck it in my arm before I could as much as protest.

The last thing I saw before the drug-influenced sleep fell on me was his wide, white-toothed smile.

* * *

I was lying in a room. An oddly familiar room, though I couldn't think of why it was familiar.

I was lying on a bed. My hands and feet were tied to it so tightly that I could barely move.

And I was naked.

I could comprehend those first three things when I woke up, and nothing more. Nothing at all. I didn't know why I was there, or who the man was who brought me here aside from the fact he referred to himself as Jonathan and that until I had received further information, which was highly unlikely to happen, he is a threat.

My heart was beating fast, so I forced myself to take a couple of deep breaths and calm myself down. I nearly managed to do so when the door opened and Jonathan walked in.

"Hello, beautiful." He said.

I opened my mouth to reply, but it was then when I realized Jonathan put duct tape over it, presumably in order to stop me from talking. With little choice left, I glared at him angrily.

"Just how I love them." He smiled. "Strong, beautiful women. How long do you think it will take me to break you? I can't wait to find out."

I shivered slightly but tried not to let it show. Was I abducted by a serial killer? Did the hunter just become the hunted? Did my team know what was going on, were they after him? Did I have any chance of leaving this place alive? All of those questions remained unanswered, as the traces of the drug he used to sedate me was still in my system, and it made the mere sound of his voice hurt my head like hammers were pounding on it.

He stepped towards me and I tried to get away, but my hands and feet were tied too tightly for that. He kneeled next to me and ran a soft hand over my cheek, causing me to flinch away from his touch. Next thing I knew, a knife was in his hand.

"I'm not going to kill you." He said. "Not yet, at least. What I am going to do now is to take off that little thing from your mouth. Do not speak."

With a single, swift movement, he cut through the duct tape and allowed me to breath from my mouth. Then, he started talking.

"Some people believe the best way to break someone's spirit is by torture." An odd look crossed his face. "The body can take almost everything you bring upon it if you want to keep the person alive. But when you take away the control over that body, you find something new." He looked at me as if an idea just crossed his mind. "What do you think will happen?"

"You will never break me." I said.

"We will see about that." He replied nonchalantly.

He started running his hand over my bare body, drawing patterns with his fingers. Every muscle in my body tensed, and my mind screamed at me to close my eyes, to block the reality out, but I knew it was just what Jonathan wanted, so I didn't.

In my small and defined even if insignificant way, I fought back. I refused to let him see he's getting to me, and stopped the intake of air as he grabbed my breast.

"So beautiful." He mumbled again, grasping my breast in one hand as the other travelled downwards and invaded my privacy entirely and completely. "Relax, honey." He said with a smile. "Who knows, maybe you'll even enjoy it."

"I highly doubt that." I said through gritted teeth.

The comment earned me a strong spank on my bare ass.

"Who said you can talk?" He asked angrily, the smile no longer on his face.

"Go to Hell." I said.

Rage filled him and he climbed on top of me as I focused my eyes at the ceiling and did my best to keep my expression blank. When he was over, he moved from where he was and forced me to look into his eyes.

"You should try to enjoy that, dear." He said. "Because that may be the first time, but it wouldn't be the last. Eventually, you will give up. They all do."

A serial killer, then. One that gets high on breaking women. If I wanted any chance of surviving this, I couldn't let him get to me, not at all. I switched into full profiler mode – realistic and emotionless, thinking about it like I'm just some victim I don't know in order to maintain my strength. My sole focus now was delaying my death enough so that my team could find me before Jonathan decided I'm broken.

"You will never break me." I repeated, and he replied me just the same as before.

"We will see about that."

The duct tape was put back into place as he went for a second round. And then a third, and a forth. It didn't seem like he needed to go somewhere anytime soon, and I wondered if it was night, if he hadn't had a job. I looked at the watermarks on the ceiling and at what I guessed to be a window covered in some unknown material. I counted the beats of my own heart.

I thought of anything I could, anything at all aside from the situation I was in and the man who was hovering over me.

At a certain point, I lost count of how many times he did it. And, fortunately, he seemed to get bored of my emotionless face.

He climbed off me and opened the door. The sudden light blinded me and brought tears to my eyes before I quickly blinked them away. He returned with bread and some water.

"Why should I eat anything you give me?" I asked coldly.

"Because if you don't, it means you've given up." He replied, a small smirk to his lips.

"How do I know you didn't drug the food?"

"Don't worry," he said, "I want you to be entirely aware of what you're about to go through."

I swallowed, an act that seemed to be a lot harder than it should, and agreed to take the food he brought me.

"Good girl." He said in a tone that made me want to punch him in the face. "I gotta go now, but I will be back soon." The annoying smirk returned to his face. "Don't go anywhere." He added, and walked out the door, leaving me in darkness

I count the time that passes by the "meals" I receive. Two more, after my first day, and my body is already broken, though I don't let it show. I know that the only thing that's keeping me alive so far is the fact that Jonathan believes that I'm still fighting, but when I burst to tears when I see him walk into the room I'm in, I know the end is near.

It is not the physical torture that caused me to break. It is not the mental games he's playing on me. It's even not the lack of privacy I've had since I was abducted.

It's when I finally recognized the room I'm in.

In retrospective, I know why it took me so long. After all, it's been years since I've been to Lawrence and even when I saw it in my dreams when Sam and Dean visited, it still didn't have the same effect as being there myself. It didn't have the same effect as noticing the glow in the dark stickers on the ceiling.

I could tell the address of the house I'm at, even without seeing it from the outside - 485 Robin Tree Street. And I could tell, without a doubt, that the room I'm in was the room Dean and I stayed at when we were kids, before Azazel killed our mother.

Jonathan smiled at the sight of my tears. "I told you, you will break," he said, "but don't worry, it will all end soon."

He pulled out a knife and started nearing me. My heart was beating hard in my chest as every cell of my body screamed to escape, to fight, to _live_. But I didn't have it in me any longer.

I didn't even know how I noticed the girl when she appeared. She wasn't there for a moment, and was there at the next. I looked at her, pleading for help as she neared Jonathan.

"Step away from her." She ordered severely, in a voice that was way too mature to belong to a girl so young.

He looked at her, shocked. "How did you get here?" He questioned, the knife still in his hands and too close to me for my liking.

"I said, _move_."

All Jonathan did was smile. "You don't know what you've gotten yourself into, girl."

"I am _not_ a _girl_." She said, flicking her wrist and sending him flying to the wall.

"What are you?" Jonathan growled.

"I'm your worst nightmare." The girl replied, and for a moment I saw her eyes flashing white.

"Lilith." I whispered, and she turned to look at me.

"Did he hurt you?" She questioned. "You must not be harmed."

A memory from the time I spent in the cabin with Tobias Hankle returned to me in the sight of Raphael, calling, "The Child of Creation must not be harmed."

"Why does everybody keep saying that?" I mumbled.

Lilith turned to look back at Jonathan, who was still plastered against the wall. "What did you do to her?" She asked. "What have you done?"

"I _raped_ her." Jonathan said proudly, and I realized that just as my way of rebelling was not letting him get to me, that this is his way of rebelling before his certain death. "I _broke_ her, and I _tortured_ her, and I –" He started choking and gasping for air. "What are you…" He started before needing to stop to catch his breath. "Stop… I… Breathe…"

The sound of the dying man filled the room and I couldn't help but think of the little good memories I've had from this house, and how they are all gone by now. By the looks of it, Jonathan suffered from something worse than suffocation. His eyes were wide open and filled with pain and a scream was attempting to escape his parted lips. Out of nowhere, his body went limp and the Demon let him drop to the floor with a thud.

"Nobody messes around with my playthings." She said before turning to look at me. "The Child of Creation. You shouldn't be placed in situations like this one. I should just take you with me and make sure you're safe. Well, relatively safe." She added as an afterthought. "But my orders were clear. You are untouchable. For the time being, at least. Your team is on their way." She said. "Should be here in about ten minutes."

She turned on her heel and almost left when I called for her, working on pure instinct.

"Wait!" I said, tears making trails on my face. "Why did you do it? Why did you save me?"

"I have my orders." She said coldly before her voice changed to what you'd expect coming out of the mouth of a ten year old. "Besides, I wouldn't want you half dead, Winchester." She said cheerfully. "Plaything are so much more fun when they fight back."

I opened my mouth to ask her another question but before I could, she disappeared. I was alone in the room, again. Chained to the bed and with a dead body less than three feet away from me. I wasn't sorry for his death, nor for the way in which he died. He was a horrible person, and as such, he died horribly. He deserved it, as he will deserve what he will get in Hell.

Hell. The mere thought brought the memory of Lilith back to my mind and suddenly, the strong, dreadful smell of sulfur filled my nostrils.

My stomach twisted and I turned my head aside to let what little food I had in my stomach get out. I felt dirty, and exposed, so when the door opened, I called out.

"Don't look at me!" Tears fell on my cheeks once again, it seemed like I was unable to stop crying. "I don't want you to see me like that."

"I've seen you drugged and unconscious on the floor in Tobias's cabin." Reid said. "I highly doubt seeing you like this will make me think any less of you. Guys!" He added, calling outside. "She's here." He turned to look at me again. "Cornell?" He asked and it took me a moment to realize that must be Jonathan's name.

"Dead." I said coldly.

He nodded shortly before untying the ropes that attached me to the bed and getting me a blanket to cover myself with.

"Everything's going to be okay." He mumbled softly. "You're safe now. You're lucky your friend came to us when she did."

"My friend?" I asked, confused.

"Missouri." Spencer said. "She said you were on your way to her house and never arrived."

The blood froze in my veins. Missouri. She knew this was going to happen, she must've known. She knew all along and she still asked me to come.

Morgan entered the room and tried to lift me up but I stopped him.

"I can walk." I said.

"Chessi, your body needs to rest –"

"What I _need_ is to walk." I insisted and slowly pulled myself out of the room before looking inside once more.

"What's the address here?" I asked.

"485 Robin Tree Street." Rossi said from behind me, confirming my worst assumptions.

I pointed at the wall across from where the bed I was lying on sat.

"My bed was here." I said. "And Dean's there. Down the hall," I marked to the direction I was saying, "was my parents' room. I used to steal my mom's jewelry, and she pretended not to notice. The nursery was here." I ran my hand against the dark wood of the closed door. "Almost every night John would ask me and Dean if we thought Sammy's old enough to throw a ball."

I looked at my team who were all looking at me, and listening to what I said. "Dean and I played hide and seek in the yard while mom cooked us dinner. I got tired faster than Dean did, so sometimes I went to bed earlier. Like the night of the fire."

I swallowed hard and tried not to think of all that happened in this house. "We heard a scream, mom's scream and ran to this hall. John gave us Sammy and told us to run. I tripped and fell, I barely made it out of the house, but John grabbed me at the last moment." My voice broke. "I was four."

"Let's get you out." Someone said, lifting me up. This time, I didn't object as they spoke of a hospital and put me in an ambulance.

"Someone call Bobby." I mumbled, unsure if I were even heard before I lost consciousness.

* * *

"Let me out." I coldly told Hotch as I was standing in front of the door, still in my hospital gown while he blocked out the exit.

"No." He said calmly.

"I'm going." I said. "And you know you can't stop me forever."

"I can try."

I sighed. "Why are you doing this?" I asked.

"Because I know if I'll let you out you'll go visiting them." He replied.

"Of course I'll go visiting them!" I called. "They've gotten themselves arrested! It might be the only chance I have to speak to them since they won't answer the damn phone!"

It's been over a week since Jonathan died. I was still admitted to the hospital, under Hotch's orders, but after Bobby left to take care of a Vamp in Wisconsin, I started losing it.

"You don't get it, Hotch." I said. "Being stuck here, alone, for hours at a time, it drives me mad! And now that Henriksen got Dean and Sam, I _have_ to go see them."

"You're motivated by pain and trauma." Hotch said. "You're not thinking rationally."

"So what?" I asked. "They're my _brothers_! I can't just stay here!"

"You can and you will." Rossi said from where he sat behind me on one of the chairs.

I turned to glare at him. "You can't tell me what to do." I told him.

"Actually," he said, getting up and nearing us, "we can. We're your bosses."

"You sure act like a hell of a lot more than that." I sneered.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Trying to be a father figure to me?" I mocked. "To fulfill your job as my Godfather? Oh, please. Where have you been twenty-three years ago, when mom _died_?"

"Enough." Hotch cut us off. "Dave, please step out of the room, you're not helping. Chessi, you are to stay _within_ the room or I'll have you tied up and sedated. Clear?"

"Yes, sir." I said, annoyed, and hopped back on my bed.

Dean and Sam were in police custody for a couple of hours already, and I knew that if I want to see them before they make a run for it or some supernatural creature will slay everyone, I had to go now. But, an order's an order, and the time that took Hotch to accept the oddness of my relationship with my brothers is _clearly_ not enough for him to understand my desire to see them.

"Why can't I go see them?" I whined.

"You know why." Hotch replied. "Henriksen is waiting to put you away with something for nearly a year now, and walking in there would just be another excuse for him."

"Not a year." I said. "Nine and a half months. I know _exactly_ how long has passed since that night."

The night Ash died. The night Dean sold his soul. The night the Yellow-Eyed Demon was finally killed and with him, every chance I had to see my brothers again.

"I know you know." Hotch said. "That's how I know you've been counting down the days so you also know it's only been a week since you were…" He trailed off, not wanting to complete the sentence. None of my teammates did. They all just thought that if we ignored it, it's like nothing's wrong.

And _I'm_ supposed to be the Winchester here.

"You're keeping me posted." I said.

"Of course." Hotch said.

"I mean it." I warned.

"I know."

"No hearing about bullshit from the news." I elaborated, so that he won't try to pull any stunts. "No pretending or faking. And on no condition are you allowed to try and go soft on me. Just pour it all, no filters."

"I will." Hotch agreed.

"Fine." I said before mumbling, "I'm gonna drive myself _mad_ in here."

"I'll bring Reid in to distract you." Hotch promised. "And keep Rossi out."

"Send Missouri, too." I said. "I haven't had a proper talk with her since before Jonathan took me."

He flinched at the casualty in which I spoke of the event, but said nothing, agreeing to send the psychic in as he went out. Less than five minutes later, Missouri was already there. She probably knew I wanted to talk to her, as it didn't take psychic powers to see I was pissed.

"Before you say anything," she started, "I want to try and explain myself."

"Go ahead." I said bitterly. "I'll still be mad."

"I know." Missouri said and sighed. "It's like 'Spinning Doors'. The movie." She added as she saw I wasn't following. "I saw two possibilities of what might happen. In one of them, two innocent women were brutally murdered. In the other..." She trailed off.

"I was raped." I completed the sentence for her. "And you just decided to choose for me."

"I decided to do what I thought was best." She defended.

"Well, I'm sick of people making decisions for me." I said, thinking of what happened just minutes ago with Hotch and Rossi.

"Would you have done it?" Missouri questioned. "If you knew, would you agree?"

I looked at her coldly. "I guess we'll never know." I said, clearly sending her off. As she walked out, she passed Reid who was just coming in, and he looked at us both with confusion.

"What was that about?" He asked.

"What did Missouri tell you?" I asked in reply.

"What?"

"When she came to the station and reported me missing," I said, "what did she tell you?"

"That she was a friend of yours," Reid replied, "and a psychic, and that she saw a vision of you getting kidnapped."

A sneer crossed my lips. "Did she tell you when?"

"When you were taken?" He asked, confused.

"When she had the vision." I corrected. "The night before. She knew what the options are and chose the one with fewer casualties."

"She knew this would happen if you came?" He asked, shocked.

"She knew this would happen and _asked_ me to come."

"Did..." Reid looked like he doesn't know how to complete the sentence.

"I didn't know." I said bitterly. "And I can't even stay mad at her."

"What?" He stared at me. "Why?"

I shrugged. "She's family."

"I thought she said she's a friend." Reid said, annoyed.

"You know just as me, Spence. Family don't end with blood."

We fell into a sort of comfortable silence, the kind I could only have with Reid as he was the only one to automatically sense when I needed to take a break from everything else and use the comfort of his presence alone. The clock was ticking, the minuets passed by and after what felt like eternity, Hotch returned with an update.

"What's going on?" I asked, seeing the odd look on his face. "Is everyone alright?"

"No." He replied and I tensed. "You should turn on the TV, Chessi." He said and I picked the remote with a trembling hand and opened the first news channel that came to my mind.

'Explosion at Monument County Sherriff's Office.' The headline read and I turned up the volume to hear what the reporter was saying.

"Authorities believe it was a gas main ruptured, causing the massive explosion that ripped apart the police station and claimed the lives of everyone inside." She said. "Among the deceased are at least six police officers and staff, including Sheriff Melvin Dodd, Deputy Phil Amici, and Secretary Nancy Fitzgerald, as well as three FBI agents, identified as Steven Groves, Calvin Reidy, and Victor Henriksen."

My heart fell at that last part and I almost broke when I heard the reporter finishing her story.

"Two fugitives in custody were also killed." She said and I dropped the remote, not caring about the rest of the world as the thing I feared most was happening.

_Was it true?_ I asked myself, knowing I will not have an answer until I fell asleep. _Can it be true? Are my brothers really dead?_

* * *

_"I know you're not dead." I was dreaming. I must have been dreaming because I heard the sound of my own voice coming out of the speaker on Dean's phone, and as always, my dreams are Dean's life. "Please pick up." I added, as I did every time I called them, which hadn't been for months._

_Dean kept his gaze fixated on the road ahead of them._

_"I miss you guys. I need you. I've been… I was abducted last week." From the corner of Dean's eye, I saw Sam glanced at him worryingly but Dean ignored it. "It was bad. I nearly died. And he took us to our old house, in Lawrence. I know about the deal, and I know there's not much time left. Lilith is after me, too, and I… I can't face her alone. Please call me back." I finished up. "I love you."_

_There was a beep marking the end of the voicemail and Sam looked at Dean._

_"Should we call her?" He asked._

_"It's not like she bothered calling us when we needed her." Dean said poisonously, his words cutting through my heart. "She's only calling when she needs something."_

_"She's been calling since you sold your soul." Sam pointed out._

_"That's what it takes for her to be back in contact." Dean sneered. "Me selling my soul. Should've done that years ago."_

_"Dad wanted us to forgive her." Sam said. "And Bobby said the only reason she didn't contact us earlier was because Dad told her not to."_

_"So the first time since she's 15 she listens to him is when he tells her not to talk to us?"_

_"When he tells her to keep herself safe." Sam corrected. "And keep her friends safe."_

_"Well, I don't care what Dad told her." Dean summed it. "And I don't care about her."_


	4. The Choices We Make

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural, Criminal Minds or any of the songs mentioned.**

* * *

**"I have come to understand that sometimes  
the best families of all are those we create ourselves,  
the people we choose to be with."  
Silas House, Eli the Good**

Days passed by and turned into weeks. Rossi dealt with his 20-year-old cold case and the team learned to trust him a little more. I feel like I already know him better, but I still didn't trust him.

I didn't really trust anybody these days. The clock is ticking, the countdown is running and when the day I dreaded arrived, I was a total mess.

We were called to New-York, to assist with the cases of several men and women who had been shot in the head, point blank in broad daylight. Since we arrived, there have been another couple of murders, the latest one involving a reference to the DC Sniper case – the Tarot card of Death. I looked at the board where we put all the information about the case, and tried to figure out what didn't fit in.

"Detective," Rossi said from behind me, "the 'Son of Sam', this case still pisses you off like it was yesterday."

"Yeah," Detective Brustin, one of the local officers, replied, "it does."

"There have been a lot of killers in this city." Rossi said. "Why him?"

"He was laughing at us and we couldn't catch him." Brustin explained. "The only way we grabbed him was through a parking ticket."

"What are you thinking?" Reid asked.

"He hasn't contacted us again." Rossi mumbled.

"So?"

"This doesn't fit." I said.

"These Unsubs are organized." Rossi explained. "They use pre-surveillance. They strike in the heart of the day and yet they haven't done anything to seek out media attention. And then this." He took the Death card off the board.

"You said it was to tell you they knew you were here." Brustin said, half accusing.

Rossi said something in reply, but I wasn't listening any more. Instead, I started singing an old song I once heard.

"Oh, Death. Oh, _Death_. Oh, Death.  
Won't you spare me over 'till one more year?"

Behind me, silence fell on the trio who were no doubt looking at me.

"But what is this, that I can't see,  
With ice cold hands taking hold of me?

When God is gone and the Devil takes hold,  
Who will have mercy on your soul?"

"Is she alright?" I heard Brustin asking Rossi and Reid.

"I think she needs to let it out." Reid said quietly.

"Diana?" Rossi asked, nearing me. "What's going on?"

"No wealth, no ruin, no silver, no gold,  
Nothing satisfies me but your _soul_.

Well I am Death, none can excel,  
I'll open the door to Heaven or _Hell_."

My singing turned frantic as I neared the end of the song, and I looked at the clock to see it was midday. Twelve hours left and the clock is running out.

"Oh, Death. Oh, _Death_.  
My name is Death and the end is near…"

I looked up and pointed at the card.

"The Tarot card symbolizes change." I said, trying to organize the thoughts in my head and keep my mind away from the topic of my brothers. "It is, oddly enough, a card of transformation and new life."

"So?" Rossi asked. I could see in his eyes he still wasn't entirely sure I'm not insane.

"If you reverse it, it means that you are on the verge of major change but resisting it. You're carrying harmful aspects from the past that may interfere with the opportunity you have for a new beginning, refusing to accept change and resisting any element of change that may arise in your life."

"I think I get where you're heading." Reid said.

"I don't." Brustin said.

"Don't worry." Rossi smiled. "They usually explain."

"They're ramping up to something," I said, "and they want us to know that they're watching us."

"If you saw all of these traits completely out of context," Reid followed my state of mind, "what would be the first profile to pop into your head?"

Fear seemed to cross Rossi's face as he realized where we were heading. "Who do we have out on the streets?" He asked and Reid and I immediately ran to call Garcia.

"Talk." She said.

"Garcia," Reid asked frantically, "do you have eyes on everyone on the team?"

"I can get them."

* * *

Terrorism. Out of all the things that could've happened the night Dean is sent to Hell, we are dealing with a terroristic group in the middle of one of the biggest cities in the country.

"Chessi?" Morgan asked as we walked towards the black SUV, about to brief Homeland Security. "Are you okay?"

"Not really." I said. "But, then again, there's not much I can do about it."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Yes." My answer seemed to surprise both of us. "Dean."

"I thought he was dead." Morgan said, confused.

"He isn't." I said. "But he will die tonight. There's nothing I can do about it, but I keep thinking I should be there."

"Can I ask how do you know he will die tonight?" He asked. "How do you know he's still alive?"

"I…" I sighed. "I can't tell you. Sorry."

"So what's on your mind?" He asked.

"Should I go and see him?" I asked. "He doesn't want me there, I know that. But should I still go? Or should I stay here?"

"I can't make that choice for you, Chessi." Morgan replied.

"It doesn't seem fair." I mumbled. "Why am I the only one who has to pick entirely between both her families?"

"You count us as family?" Morgan asked.

"Don't sound so surprised, Derek."

"I know you." He replied. "Or, your type, at least. You're like me, you're not quick to trust people. You say we're your family but you kept the fact that Dean's alive from us all."

"Not all of you." I said.

"What?"

"Rossi knew." I sighed. "As it turns out, he knew my mother, and he's my Godfather, and I told him."

"But still," Morgan insisted, "he's the closest thing you have to your real family here, but you still don't trust him entirely. You need to pick, Diana, once and for all – are you still a Winchester? Or are you a Chess?"

* * *

We were driving in the middle of New York City, the sirens blowing at my ears as Morgan all but flew towards the area where we heard the explosion was. Both of us were too stressed to talk, so it was a welcome noise to hear my phone ringing. I answered without checking the caller's ID and put it on speaker.

"We're still here." I said and I could almost hear Garcia's sigh of relief.

"Yes, you are." She said. "Thank god."

"We're almost back at the federal building." Morgan said. "What the hell's going on?"

"All right," Garcia said, "we're going over the closed circuit footage right now."

"Who else have you checked on?" I asked, nervous.

"You're the first. Rossi and Reid called me."

"Well, keep us on the line while you check on everyone else." I said.

"Is everyone ok?" I heard Emily's voice asking and let out a sigh of my own.

"I've spoken to Rossi and Reid," Garcia told her, "and Morgan and Chessi are on the line."

"Emily, where are you?" Morgan asked.

"I'm following detective Brustin to one of the NYPD's critical incident command posts."

"One of them?" Garcia asked.

"Yeah, after 9/11 they decentralized." Morgan explained. "They had way too many eggs in one basket on that day."

"Has anyone talked to JJ?" I asked.

"She was headed back to the hotel." Emily said.

"In an SUV?" Garcia asked.

"I think so."

"Stay with me a minute." Garcia told us. "I'll dial her mobile."

"_This is Agent Jareau_," the voicemail said, "_communications director for the FBI's Behavioral_ –"

The line suddenly went dead and I called, "What was that?"

"What happened?" Morgan asked.

"It went dead mid-message." Garcia mumbled.

"Try here again." Emily called. "She's probably back at –"

Her line went dead, too and then ours as well and I looked at Morgan, nervous.

"How long?" I asked.

"Two minutes." He replied.

"Make it one."

It wasn't long before Morgan turned into a street and we saw officers and SWAT teams had settled behind a barrier to an empty street.

"Who's in charge here?" I called as we all but jumped out of the car.

"Captain Warner." An officer said and we headed towards the man he pointed at.

"Captain Warner." Morgan said.

"We got people down there –" The man said but Morgan cut him off.

"Captain Warner, I'm Agent Morgan, this is Agent Chess, FBI."

"We're looking for Agent Hotchner," I said, "Aaron Hotchner."

"Go back to the federal building." Warner said. "There are EVAC Marshaling spots. Check in to make sure they know where you are."

"I am not about to do that." Morgan said.

"Get out of my face or I'll have you bodily removed, Agents."

"Please, we're here!" I heard the yell from the middle of the street and panicked.

"Hotch!" I called.

"The area's restricted." Warner said.

"That's our boss down there." Morgan said.

"My orders are what they are." Warner insisted.

"I don't give a damn what your orders are." Morgan spat.

"I get it, Agent." Warner explained. "But we've been told by you responders are the targets. So until the blast site is cleared, no one goes in."

"You're Marine Corps, right?" I asked. He avoided my gaze so I repeated, "right?"

"Please," Warner looked as if he'd had enough of us, "go back to the marshaling point."

"We're not doing it." I said. "I was raised on Marine values and I'm not just gonna let my man lay down there like that. Never leave a man behind." I continued, ignoring Hotch's cries for help. "You do remember that, don't you?"

"We're here!" Hotch called again. "Please!"

Warner looked at us for a moment before sighing, "Ok," and letting us through.

We ran there and immediately fell on our knees next to Hotch and Agent Joyner, who was with him when the car exploded.

"Hotch!" Morgan called.

"We've got to get her out of here." Hotch said.

"They're not letting any ambulances down here until they clear the scene." I said before noticing the young man who was with us. "Kid, you gotta get behind the barricades."

"Let's go." Morgan said. "Go!"

He waited until Hotch told him to go as well, before finally running away, muttering, "good luck," on his way.

"Talk to me." I said. "Can we carry her?"

Hotch didn't reply.

"Hotch," Morgan said harshly, waiting for our boss and friend to look at him before speaking. "Can we carry her?"

"No," Hotch mumbled, "I tried. Guys, she's gonna bleed to death if we don't get her out of here."

"Not if I have a say about it." I said.

Years of patching up hunters returned to my mind as I started working by instinct. I vaguely noticed Morgan starting to run off after the kid, apparently, he was the one who planted the bomb, but I didn't really notice. I raised her beck and lifted the torn shirt, pressing where I thought the bleeding was coming from.

"Take the hairpin out of my hair." I said.

"What?" Hotch asked, confused.

"Just do it!"

He did as I asked, even if somewhat confused, and handed the pin over.

"Replace my hand." I ordered, moving aside to give him space to follow my orders. He replaced me and I took off my shirt, leaving only a tank top on. I rolled the shirt around itself and used it as a bandage around agent Joyner's torso.

"What are you doing?" Hotch asked.

"Trying to save her life." I replied.

"How do you even know how to do that?"

"You wouldn't believe what I saw at Bobby's." I said. "I treated far worst."

He raised a brow but said nothing and soon enough, Joyner regained consciousness.

"How are you, honey?" I asked.

"I need to go." She mumbled. "I need to… I need…"

"Talk to her." I half mindedly told Hotch. "Distract her."

"What should I say?" He asked, nervous.

"Talk about…" I trailed off when I saw the bandage wasn't holding up.

"Have I told you about Jack?" Hotch asked Joyner and she shook her head. "He's my son. He's turning four in October, and he's the cutest kid in the world."

"I bet he is." Joyner mumbled.

"He has the most beautiful brown eyes." Hotch continued. "Haley says they're just like mine, but I know he got them from her. The way the shine when he smiles, it's all Haley."

"Good, keep talking." I mumbled as I pressed hard against her back, pushing away the worry at the fact she didn't acknowledge the pain.

"JJ, our media liaison, she's pregnant, too. We all found out last night. She has blue eyes, but I bet her baby will have brown eyes, like his father. He worked a case with us nearly a year ago."

"More than a year." I mumbled, causing Hotch to look at me.

"Chessi, what is the date?" He asked worryingly.

"You know the date, Hotch." I said, just as a paramedic arrived.

"She's got an arterial bleed in her back and I'm doing my best to hold it closed, but it won't." I told him. "She lost consciousness earlier, but regained it about a minute ago, and she doesn't have sensation in her lower back and feet."

"Is he okay?" The paramedic asked, gesturing at Hotch.

"I just want to get her out of here." Hotch said.

"Her pulse is weak." I added.

"I'm gonna need both of you to help, okay?" The paramedic asked and Hotch nodded.

"Is the area clear?" I asked.

"He was calling for help and I couldn't listen anymore." The paramedic said. "My partner was too afraid to come in here with me."

Hunter instincts told me not to trust this man, to get away and push him away, but I also knew he was our best chance to keep Joyner alive so I pushed the feelings away.

"Kate, we're gonna get you out of here." I said. "You're on the way out of here."

* * *

We had just found out that the ambulance in which Hotch and I had arrived was rigged. The team ran off to inform the head of security, the man who nearly stopped us from entering. I followed them for a moment, before I turned to the staircase, pulled my gun and ran downstairs. I knew enough to tell he wasn't going to help us, and knew that we can't stop the bomb from exploding.

The least I could do is make sure everybody would be safe.

I jumped the steps, three at a time, stopping at every sound and waiting for footsteps to walk past me before heading forward again. I found the ambulance quickly and jumped to the front without checking if the bomb really was there.

I knew it was.

I looked around me for keys for a moment, but gave up rather quickly and started wiring it. It wasn't the first time I did it, but it has been a long time since the last, as I was attempting to keep my record clean in order to avoid trouble when I attempted to join the FBI.

I blocked the world out as I worked, so I didn't notice the presence of someone else in the ambulance. Oddly enough, he didn't notice me, either, until the car went on and I pulled out of parking.

"Who is it?" A familiar voice asked.

"Morgan?" I called with surprise.

"Chessi?" He asked. "What are you doing here?"

"What are _you_ doing here?" I asked desperately.

"I asked first."

"I was here first." I could see a man looking at us through the rearview mirror. "Questions later." I said. "I suppose I can't talk you into getting out?"

"Heck, no." He said. "I'm staying here."

"Hold on tight, then." I said, and launched forward, driving out of the parking lot and into the street. "Where should I go?"

"Garcia, I'm putting you on speaker." Morgan said and soon enough, I heard the technical analyst's voice filling the car.

"One day I will kill both of you." She said and I smiled.

"Let's live through today first." I said. "Where to?"

"Head north and floor it." She said. "I'll tell you where to turn."

"That's good." I mumbled, breaking traffic laws without thinking.

"Turn left," she said, "and then immediately right."

I did as she said and nearly sent Morgan flying at the back door.

"Geez, Chessi, where did you learn to drive?" He asked.

"At a salvage yard." I said. "Plenty of room to practice."

"Be careful, would you?" He said. "There's a friggin' bomb in here."

"Oh, is there?" I asked sarcastically. "Thank you for that input, I didn't notice."

"Chessi, drive to the opening and then both of you get the hell out."

"Distract her." I ordered and Morgan was quick to obey.

"There's something I really want you to know, Garcia." He said.

"Save it." She replied. "Just get out."

He looked at me and I shook my head, mumbling slowly to myself.

_"Oh, Death. Oh, Death. Oh, Death"_

"No, no, no," he said, "we're not quite there yet and I won't leave Chessi alone."

"Guys –"

"Just listen to me." He sighed.

_"Won't you spare me over 'till another year?"_

"Morgan, please."

"You know what you are, Garcia?" He asked just as I opened the door.

"Now!" I called and jumped out moments before the bomb exploded, the blast sending me flying forward.

"Morgan!" I could hear Garcia's desperate call through the phone speaker as I hit the ground. "Chessi?" She sounded almost crying.

I stood up slowly just in time to see Morgan doing just the same, adjusting his earpiece so that he can talk.

"Garcia, I'll tell you what you are to me." He said. "You're my God given solace. Woman, you promise me one thing; whatever happens, don't you ever stop talking to me."

"I can't right now," she said, "'cause I'm mad at you."

A smile crossed my face, mirroring the one of Derek's as he laughed at her words.

"I can wait." He said.

"Is Chessi alright?" She asked.

"All good." I replied. "Go check on everyone else."

"I will." She said and hung up.

Slowly, I stepped closer to Morgan.

"That was stupid, what you did back there." I said. "You should have left earlier, should have got off the ambulance the moment you saw I got it."

"I wouldn't leave you alone." He replied.

"Was that what this was all about?" I asked. "Not about making sure I got it right?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" He asked, offended.

"Nothing." I said. "It's just all nice and peachy saying I don't trust the team when you don't, either. Don't try and get away with it, you know I'm right. You said it yourself, I'm like you."

"I trust the team!" He protested.

"Do you?" I asked nearing him. "Reid would trust us with his life. And God knows today is the proof that Hotch will, too. If you needed to put your life in their hands, would you?"

"Would _you_?"

"I already know my answer, Derek." I said. "Came to peace with it ages ago. Now's your turn."

"We should head back to where everybody else is." He said.

"Yeah," I sighed, "we should."

He walked away without looking at me and I followed him silently, wanting the silence as much and maybe even more than he did.

* * *

The next morning, Hotch was walking out of the hotel, suitcase in hand and heading for the car when I ran to him.

"Here," I said, "let me."

"Chessi…" He begun but I cut him off.

"Don't 'Chessi' me. A car exploded less than two feet away from you and you just lost a friend." I said, regarding to Agent Joyner. Despite my efforts, she died and it hurt. I could only imagine what Hotch was going through. "No way am I letting you drive."

"Don't you have anything better to do?" He asked.

"Like what? Using the Jet?" I shook my head. "I'm not going on that death-trap if I don't have to. Besides," I added when I saw him opening his mouth to argue, "I wouldn't miss a chance to annoy you for two hours."

"It's a three hour drive to Virginia." He said.

"That's what you think." I laughed and put his bag in the back seat of the car, as I ignored him checking for explosives underneath it. Who am I to judge?

"How are you doing?" He asked after he entered the car and I started driving.

"I'm peachy!" I smiled.

"No, you're not." Hotch said. "Dean died last night."

"No kidding." I commented, the smile gone from my face.

"How are you _really_ doing?" He asked and I sighed.

"Did I ever tell you about the first time I came to New York?" Hotch shook his head. "I was fifteen and John was on a hunt. It was one of those rare cases when he let me in, it was in Long Island, and we managed to get him to visit New York. He hated the city."

"Why?" Hotch asked.

"Too big, too loud, too dirty," I shrugged, "take your pick. Oh, and he hated the Yankees. Big time. But we got him to go so we go. See the sights, ride the subway, eat too much pizza. We got back to our motel and Sam and him just fell asleep. So Dean and I looked at each other and knew we were thinking the same thing. We're going to CBGB."

"The club?" Hotch asked, amazed

"You bet it." I smiled.

"Weren't you a bit underage?"

"Oh, way underage." I laughed. "So, we get there, sneak in, and it's just crazy. People are doing… everything. We were mind-blown. Then this girl, she walks up to Dean and invites him to join at her table. He says, 'only if my sister comes, too.' The girl was way nicer once she figured we were not together. Anyway, we got drunk, bad drunk. The room starts to spin and I see Dean isn't feeling much better than me. I look around and I see someone standing in the doorway, looking right at me. And he said, 'Dean and Diana Winchester'."

"Who was it?" Hotch asked.

"Who do you think it was?" I replied. "John. Now, I swear to God the bar fell quiet. You could hear a pin dropping. And Dean and I, we were petrified. Then this man, scariest dude I've ever seen and I've seen a lot of dudes, he stands up and says, 'sorry, sir.' That's it." My eyes were burning with tears. "'Sorry, sir.' Man, was I in trouble that night."

"What happened?"

"Well, Dean and I just kept whining about how much he embarrassed us." I said. "Dean told him he hated him, first time I heard him say that. And he turned to us and said, 'You don't like me? That's fine. It's not my job to be liked." Tears filed my eyes. "It's my job to raise you right.' It was the best and worst experience of my life. And Dean and John were there with me."

"And now they're gone." Hotch said.

"They're gone." I repeated. "And Dean will never know how sorry I was for leaving. He died, and he died hating me."

"He didn't hate you." Hotch said.

"You didn't hear him." I replied. "I left him a message, after the Cornell case. I heard him listening to it, in my dream. He said he didn't care."

"He was hurt." Hotch insisted. "He wasn't thinking rationally. You're still family."

"Family doesn't end with blood." I quoted. "How many times did you hear me say that? It works both ways."

"What?"

"Blood isn't enough." I said. "You gotta earn this. I made my choice when I left, and I made it again last night. I'm not a Winchester."

Before he could say anything, I opened the radio on a station I knew was playing my kind of music. I turned the volume up, letting the words of an unfamiliar song by a band named "Papa Roach".

"I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut.  
My weakness is that I care too much.  
And my scars remind me that the past is real.  
I tear my heart open just to feel."

Hotch reached out to change the station, but I grabbed his hand before he could, not taking my eyes off the road for a second.

"With all the respect, sir, and you know there's plenty," a hint of a sad smile crossed my face, "driver picks the music. Shotgun shuts his cake-hole."

* * *

**A/N: And so season 3 is over, for both shows. Next up is the four months Dean is in Hell, anybody care to guess what's going to happen?**

**It was really fun for me, writing this episode (Partly because it gave me an excuse to stop learning for my tests) and I hope you liked reading it as much as I loved writing it. I also watched the latest episode of Supernatural just before I wrote it, so I had to put Dean's story about his night in New-York.**

**For reference, the songs in this chapter are "Oh, Death" by Jen Titus and "Scars" by Papa Roach. I will say it again, _I do not own them_! I just liked it, and they sorta jumped to my head when I wrote this chapter so I added them.**

**Please Read &amp; Review, and have a Merry Christmas!**


	5. Hell

**A/N:**** Okay, so I wanted to write this chapter since I have started this story. I wanted to write it when the idea just crept into my mind, and it involved no FBI - Criminal Minds or other. And now I'm posting it.**

**PLEASE REVIEW you have _no_ idea how much I want to know what you think!**

**Warning: Dark chapter ahead.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Criminal Minds.**

* * *

**"All hope abandon, ye who enter here."  
Dante Alighieri, ****_The Divine Comedy_**

"Um… hi." I said, feeling weird speaking in front of all these people, looking straight at me. "I… don't really know what I should say here." I glanced worryingly at Spencer, and he smiled encouragingly at me. "I think I'll start with the basics. My name is Diana Chess, formerly Winchester."

"Hello, Diana." A chorus of voices replied and, as oddly as it may sound, I felt slightly better.

"I'm a Supervisory Special Agent at the Behavioral Analysis Unit as of the past three years, and 28 years old." I continued with the basic information. "My story starts… I don't even know when. Some might say it started ten years ago, when I left my family. Others will claim it started when I was four and my mother died. I think it started a couple of months ago, when Dean, my twin brother, died.

"You all heard of the Winchester brothers." I said. "Serial killers, kidnappers, what not. I haven't spoken to them since I left home. Partially because _I_ didn't want to, partly because _they_ didn't want me to and partially because I was afraid. I haven't spoken to them in over a decade. But it still hurt like…" I couldn't bring myself to say the word. "It hurt when Dean died.

"And when he died, I started having nightmares. The 'keep you up all night, get worse as the days go by' kind of nightmares. And they were nasty."

.

The first night was the hardest.

By the time I left Hotch in his apartment and reached mine, it was the late hours of the afternoon and, seeing as I didn't get much sleep the previous night, I was exhausted. I had an aching heart and a worried mind and for the first time, I let myself think about it.

Dean was in Hell. Sam was all alone. A small voice in the back of my head told me I should look for him – we were the only family we've got left – but the shame and grief pushed it away. I have made too many mistakes to ever seek forgiveness, and I'm also probably the second to last person he wants to see right now, second only to Lilith.

I considered calling Bobby but knew he was probably getting stone drunk by now, trying to keep the grief away. Grief he hadn't felt since he lost his wife, all those years ago.

And above all else, was the fear I kept pushing to the back of my mind ever since Dean made that God-forsaken deal last year, fear that now rose above anything else as I prepared to go to sleep.

_When I sleep, I live Dean's life. What will I see now that Dean is in Hell?_

I would probably just stop dreaming, I told myself. There's no way you would keep seeing through Dean's eyes when he's in Hell, right? Right?

Nevertheless, I read a book before going to sleep. Prepared dinner. Watched TV. It was only when I physically couldn't keep my eyes open that I crawled into bed, pulled up the covers and closed my eyes.

.

_Pain. Pain was everywhere. Erasing my existence, deleting all thought from my mind other than the excruciating pain that seemed to fill my being. I saw nothing but red, felt like my blood was boiling._

_From what seemed to be a distance, I could hear somebody repeatedly yelling, "Sammy!" Only when I heard the same voice crying out, "Diana!", I realized the voice was Dean's._

_Somebody put a knife to my skin and made a long, clean cut. It didn't hurt specifically, as all I seemed to be was pain, but it burned like acid, and added the smell of burning flesh to the sensory overload I was experiencing. I was burned and whipped, cut into so many pieces I surely should have died. But the awful reminder always came. Dean is already dead._

_I tried to scream out in pain, but couldn't. I did not have the privilege of screaming. I was a guest. A visitor in Dean's mind. I couldn't control the body I was in, only Dean could, and he decided to use that control to call out our names._

_"Sammy!" A cry that sounded so agonized that I shrank in sympathy. "Diana!"_

_It lasted for hours._

_After a while, a Demon arrived and looked at Dean._

_"Have you rethought my offer, Dean?" He asked smoothly._

_"The answer is no." Dean said through gritted teeth._

_"Are you sure?" The Demon asked. "It's been a couple of months already. Wouldn't you rather the pain to go away?"_

_A couple of months? No, that can't be. Dean… Dean's only been dead for a day. Wasn't he?_

_Then again, I had spent nearly a day in here already. What is going on at home? Had I died, as well, and been sent to Hell? Is this the rest of eternity for me? I was brought back from my thoughts by Dean's hoarse voice speaking._

_"It can be years, decades." He said coldly. "I will never say yes, Alastair."_

_"Pity." Alastair said. "And here I thought I saw so much potential in you."_

.

I woke up in my bed, shivering and crying. Everything seemed blurred and I was hyperventilating. It took me a minute or so to calm myself, but when I did, I glanced at the clock.

I slept for less than five minutes.

I stood up and walked to the kitchen, poured myself a glass of water and slowly drank it, taking deep breaths between sips.

It's my mind. My mind is playing tricks on me. And I'm letting it. It's not real. None of it is real, it couldn't be real. I've only slept for five minutes.

_Then again_, a small voice in the back of my head said, _the Demon, Alistair, he said Dean's been down there for months. What if time passes by differently in Hell?_

It's not real. It can't be.

I walked back to my bed and crawled under the covers, the single sentence running like a mantra in my head; It's just your mind, playing tricks on you. It's just your mind, playing tricks on you. It's _just_ your mind, playing tricks on you.

* * *

"If in modern days, families still had mottos, I know what my family's would be." I said, a smile creeping to the corner of my lips. "No chick-flick moments. No showing emotion, no showing weakness.

"I was raised on the road by an ex-Marine father who didn't have time for all the 'feelings crap', as he would call it. He tossed me at my uncle's house when I was 12, only coming back when my brothers insisted or when I got into trouble. So I learned very quickly to hide my feelings." I sighed. "I'm not good on the whole trusting people end. And, being the fool that I am, I tried to hide what I was going through from my co-workers. As it turns, it doesn't work so well when you're working with profilers."

.

"Chessi," Morgan grabbed my hand as we get off the plane after a hard case. Hotch still wasn't cleared back and it was affecting all of our moods. "Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" I shrugged.

"Because your brother died three weeks ago and you didn't as much as take days off." He replied.

"I'm fine." I lied smoothly.

"Are you?" He asked. "Because you were completely off during this case."

"I'm fine." I repeated, annoyed.

"You know if you ever need to talk –"

"I know." I cut him off. "But I don't. I'm fine." I yanked my hand out of his grasp. "Just leave me alone."

.

I was at Reid's house, making some popcorn and getting ready to watch the new "Doctor Who" season when I felt somebody move behind me. My senses, already sharp due to the constant stress that resulted from my lack of sleep, nearly jumped in but I realized who it was just in time so that I didn't do anything I'd regret later.

"Hi." She said. "I didn't really have the chance to talk to you since Dean…" She paused when she saw the way I flinched at his name. "Are you alright?"

"I'm peachy." I replied, sarcasm escaping into my tone.

"You don't seem that way." She insisted.

I shrugged. "Why does everybody think there's something going on?"

"Maybe because there's something going on?"

.

"Days passed, and the nightmares didn't get any better." I told the crowd that was watching me. "If anything, it was getting worse." _The Demons tortured Dean in despicable ways, trying to make him break._ I remembered, but clearly couldn't say that out loud. I didn't sleep, I didn't eat, I could barely think clearly.

"I started drinking myself to sleep, wishing for a dreamless night but time after time, it didn't work. So eventually, I drifted to the one escape route I never thought I'd use.

"On a case I worked on about two years ago, I was injected with Dilaudid. I knew that when I was under the influence of the drug, I didn't dream. Instead, I relived my worst memories, but at least my body was able to rest." Memories from years of hunting, profiling, school bullies and family quarrels returned to me during the couple of weeks in which I was using. I woke up shivering, crying, and still thankful, for it was still better than Hell.

"My addiction had gotten very severe, very quickly and I would have probably lost all I've worked so hard to build if it wasn't for Spencer. He's my best friend, and he was using Dilaudid a couple of years ago, so he noticed the symptoms.

"He saw the way I was having difficulties to concentrate, the slight trembling of my hands by the end of a long day, the sneaks to the bathroom when I needed another dose. And when he saw all that, he did the last thing I thought he would do. He told one of our co-workers, Dave, who also happens to be an old friend of my parents and my Godfather.

"Dave called a couple of days off for the two of us, and drove me to my uncle's house."

Rossi's car parked outside of Bobby's house just as the latter was coming out to see who was coming. My hand was handcuffed to the door after I used one of the stops we made on the road to get high, and I was pissed off, as well as starting to show on rehab symptoms.

"Do you still have you panic room?" Rossi asked as he walked out of the car.

"Yeah." Bobby said, frowning. "Why?"

"Help me put her in there and I'll explain it all."

I blinked with shock. "What?" I sneered. "No! You're not putting me there!"

"You bet we are." Rossi replied, opening the door.

I fought with teeth and nails, showing no mercy and it took them half an hour and their combined strength to lock me in the room, but they did. I screamed and yelled, called Bobby a hypocrite and Rossi a know-it-all, cursed in every language I know and eventually curled up on the floor and cried.

I was in that room for 36 hours, and I didn't rest a single moment of it.

When the drug was finally out of my system and they let me out, I was no longer mad at them, but hungrier than I had been in weeks and utterly exhausted. I couldn't bare looking at either of them and ate the food Bobby offered me silently, until Rossi offered I go get some rest. I lied about not being tired, but ten minutes later I was asleep on the couch.

.

_Something is wrong. Something is definitely wrong. By now, Dean has been little over three decades in Hell, and from the first moment I fall asleep, I know something is wrong._

_The pain isn't as intense as I remembered it to be the last time I was sober, around two months ago for me, two decades ago for Dean. Somehow, I don't think it's because of the Demons' kindness of heart._

_Then, the scene I was a part of became clear._

_Dean, not on the rack anymore. Instead, there's another man on the rack, and Dean is the one torturing him. He lifted the knife in his hand and started carving into the man, not unlike how he was tortured not so long ago._

_We felt a presence behind us, and Dean turned to see Alistair standing there._

_"Very good, Dean." The Demon said. "I told you, you had it in you."_

_Dean shivered as Alistair walked away, but didn't stop what he was doing. I felt his disgust, his regret at what he's doing. But I also felt something else. As much as he tried to hide it, as much as he tried to push it down and pretend it's not true, Dean enjoyed what he did._

_I spent an entire month in there before waking up on the couch at Bobby's house, crying and screaming._

.

"No! No! Stop!"

I woke up with a start at the loud sound of a door bursting open. Apparently, Rossi heard my screaming, and thought I was being attacked. So he ran downstairs with a gun, only to find me screaming in my sleep.

After that, I told them everything.

I told them about the dreams I've been having since I was a teenager, about the Hell time-differences. I told them about the torture Dean was going through – physically and mentally – though I left out the part about him breaking down and torturing souls.

"You thought I had nightmares because I was using drugs, but it was the other way around." I said. "I started using because it was the only way to stop the nightmares."

"Why didn't you say anything?" They asked.

I glared at them. "With all the respect, I don't really know you," I told Rossi, "and you weren't really available during the past three months," I told Bobby. "And besides, I have sort-of-psychic dreams even _actual_ psychics can't explain. And I know that because I went to psychics, Missouri included." I added. "I was scared. I was petrified, I still am."

"We could've helped." Rossi said.

"Could you?" I questioned. "Because I highly doubt that."

* * *

"Things are getting better now." I lied to the crowd that listened to my every word. Well, half-lied. "I'm still having the nightmares, and they're still hard on me, but now I have people to talk to about it.

"My Uncle calls me every day and keeps me posted with what is going on. My Godfather keeps an eye on me and he's always there when I need a shoulder to cry on. And Spence gets the difficulties I'm having with the rehab, and the temptation to start using again, even if only for a moment's relief.

"It's still hard and getting harder every day, but I'm doing it. Slow but steady, every day at a time. Thank you for listening."

I walked back to my seat next to Spencer, and put my hand in his. He pressed it lightly to relax me, and I pressed back to signal I was fine.

"Thank you for sharing, Diana." Tom, the consulter, said and everybody repeated silently. "The meeting is over for today, let's finish up."

We all stood up and created a circle, holding each other's hands as we chanted.

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,  
The courage to change the things I can,  
And the wisdom to know the difference."

The meeting broke off and Reid dropped me at home, reminding me that the next day should be Hotch's first day back on the team. I sat by the kitchen table, slowly drinking water and wishing it was beer. I knew I shouldn't even think of getting drunk, as it would only put me back on the track to go back on the Dilaudid. I drank off the last bit of water, before grabbing a knife from the kitchen drawer and going to the bathroom.

I placed the cold knife on my skin, but stopped before I made the cut.

"God, or anybody who's listening, really," I started, "I want you to know that I hope for your forgiveness. I think of the way Dean broke down there, and I don't know what to do anymore. He… he was the best person I ever knew, and you let him die and go to Hell. I know what I'm about to do is a sin, and it might get me thrown down there, too. But maybe there I would have a silver of a chance to be there for Dean and make him understand how sorry I am and how much I love him. I want to help him, but I don't want to cause anyone else anymore pain. That's the only reason I didn't do it before. But it's been four months, and despite what I said earlier, I'm not okay. I hope you understand that, and I am sorry."

I intended to start applying pressure when a voice interrupted.

"Do not harm yourself."

I looked up to see a man with brown hair and blue eyes, wearing a trench coat and looking right at me.

"Who are you?" I asked. "How did you get in here?"

"My name is Castiel." He said.

The name sounded vaguely familiar but I didn't remember where from. I knew I haven't seen the man before in my life, and when I looked closer, I thought I saw something more to him, something I couldn't explain.

"_What_ are you?" I asked.

Lightening flashed through the windows, showing the out mark of big, black wings on the wall behind him as he spoke.

"I am an Angel of the Lord."


	6. Picking Up the Pieces

**A/N:**** Sorry I didn't update yesterday! I was at the New Year's Eve party and sorta forgot about it...**

**Anyways, here's the next chapter, tell me how you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Criminal Minds.**

* * *

**"Once you hit rock bottom, that's where you perfectly stand;  
That's your chance of restarting, but restarting the right way."  
Justin Kanayurak**

I looked at Castiel, trying to decide if it was some kind of a twisted joke, or if it was a Demon trying to harm me.

"Angels?" I asked. "Angels don't exist."

What may have been a smile on any other person, but looked more like irritation on Castiel's face had appeared. "I beg to differ." He said.

"If Angels exist – and that's a _big_ if – how come there're no indications that you ever existed?" I asked. "No evidence, no witnesses to have ever seen you, nothing."

"Have you ever opened a Bible?" Castiel asked. "What more proof do you need?"

"Well, where have you been ever since?" I asked cynically.

"In Heaven."

"_Heaven_." I repeated. "Of course."

"What proof do you want, then?" Castiel asked.

"I don't know!" I called out. "Surprise me."

For a moment, it seemed that Castiel does not intend to do anything, before he vanished. Suddenly, he was behind me, grabbing my hand. I blinked and found myself in my bedroom.

"What was that?" I asked suspiciously.

"You wanted proof." Castiel said.

I turned and walked out of the room, looking around me to make sure I really was in my house and not somewhere else. Everything seemed fine, so I turned to look back at Castiel.

"Alright." I said slowly. "So Angels exist. I've been praying for months for Dean to get out of Hell, why are you suddenly listening?"

"You intended to harm yourself." He said. "You already have, and I have finally managed to convince my superiors to allow my help."

"Your superiors?" I asked.

"Angels are the soldiers of God." Castiel replied. "I follow orders. My orders were to observe only, and not to interfere. Until now."

"What had changed?"

"You harmed yourself." He repeated. "The Child of Creation –"

"- must not be harmed." I completed. "I know. I've been told so before."

"By Raphael." Castiel said. "I know."

"Was it really Raphael?" I asked, amazed. "I thought it was just Tobias's Multiple Personality Disorder."

"It was." The Angel explained. "It was the combination of his struggle to accept Charles's death, and Raphael who was sent to make sure you will be alright."

"Make sure I was _alright_?" I asked. "I was kidnapped, tortured, _drugged_. They nearly killed my best friend!"

"But you were safe." Castiel insisted. "You remained unharmed."

"You…" I walked to him and pointed to his face accusingly. "You are _sick_ bastards, you know that?"

"If I were you, I would show some respect." Castiel warned.

"Why?" I asked, stepping away from him and closing my eyes. "What have you ever done for me?"

"I have stopped you from making a terrible mistake." He said.

"A mistake?" I asked. "A mistake was listening when you told me to stop."

"I have done more than you know."

"Like what?" I questioned. "I prayed, I _begged_ that you save Dean. And what have you guys done? _Nothing_."

"I would not have been so certain." Castiel said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"Sleep, and find out." Was his only reply.

I laughed a humorless laugh. "Thank you, but I think I'll pass."

"Sleep." He ordered again.

I started feeling tired but fought it. "No." I managed.

"Sleep."

My feet were unable to hold me and I fell forward, only for him to hold me and lift me in his arms. He put me on the bed and pulled up the covers on top of me.

"I am your Guardian Angel." He said as I started drifting off. "Remember that. If you ever need anything, I am only a prayer away."

* * *

_I wasn't not sure where I am, except for a couple of small details that came into my sight. A hotel room, numbered 207. A woman, opening the door and asking where is the pizza. Me, saying I think we've got the wrong room. But my voice sounded wrong, and I wasn't the one controlling my mouth. Then Sam showed up, and looked at me with surprise and fear._

_"Hey ya, Sammy." I said_

_He looked at me with surprise for a moment, and then charged at me._

_"Who are you?" He screamed as Bobby jumped to hold him back._

_I looked at the older man, and said, "Like you didn't do this!"_

_"Do what?" Sam asked._

_"It's him." Bobby said. "It's him, Sam. I've been through this already. It's really him."_

_Sam stopped fighting, and looked at me with shock. "But…"_

_"I know." I said. "I look fantastic, eh?"_

_He stepped closer and pulled me into a tight embrace, which I return without thinking, but the woman quickly interrupted us._

_"So are you two, like…" She looked between us, confused. "Together?"_

_"What?" Sam was confused for a moment before he seemed to realize what she was saying. "No. No. He's my brother."_

_Brother? No, that can't be. But… what other explanation is there? When I dream, I see what Dean sees. So that must mean that since I'm no longer in Hell, this really is Dean._

_"Oh." The woman said. "Got it. I guess. Look, I should probably go."_

_"Yeah, yeah." Sam muttered. "That's probably a good idea. Sorry."_

_"So, call me." She added as he put a fake smile on._

_"Sure thing, Kathy."_

_"Christie." She corrected, annoyed._

_"Right." Sam said, embarrassed, and she walked out the door._

_"So, tell me," Dean started, "what'd it cost?"_

_"The girl?" Sam smiled. "I don't pay, Dean."_

_"That's not funny, Sam." Dean said. "To bring me back. What'd it cost? Was it just your soul, or was it something worse?"_

_"You think I made a deal?" Sam asked._

_"That's exactly what we think." Bobby commented._

_"Well, I didn't."_

_"Don't lie to me." Dean said._

_"I'm not lying." Sam insisted._

_"So, what now?" Dean continued, ignoring Sam. "I'm off the hook, and you're on, is that it? You're some demon's bitch boy?" I can almost feel the disappointment in him. "I didn't want to be saved like this."_

_"Look, Dean, I wish I had done it, all right?" Sam asked, annoyed. Dean stepped closer and held his shirt._

_"There's no other way that this could have gone down." He said but I disagreed. There is one. "Now tell the truth!"_

_"I tried everything." Sam said as he shook Dean off. "That's the truth. I tried opening the Devil's Gate. Hell, I tried to bargain, Dean, but no demon would deal, all right? You were rotting in hell for months – for _months_ – and I couldn't stop it. So, I'm sorry it wasn't me, all right? Dean," his voice shook, "I'm sorry."_

_"It's okay, Sammy." Dean said quietly, "You don't have to apologize. I believe you."_

_"Don't get me wrong," Bobby started, "I am gladdened that Sam's soul remains intact, but that _does_ raise a sticky question."_

_Dean and Bobby changed looks of sad understanding._

_"If he didn't pull me out," Dean said, "then what did?"_

* * *

"Castiel?" I asked carefully. "Castiel, can you hear me? You… you said to pray if I wanted to talk to you so, that's me. Praying."

"Diana."

I turned to see the Angel standing behind me, so close to me that I had to fight the urge to attack him. instead, I looked into his blue eyes.

"It was you, wasn't it?" I asked. "You pulled Dean out of Hell, right?"

"Yes." He replied.

For a moment, I did nothing but stand and look at him. Then, I pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you." I whispered in his ear, but he seemed to be fazed as to what he should do in return. "When somebody hugs you, you hug back." I offered, and he wrapped his hands around me clumsily. We stayed like that for about a minute until I pulled back, watching his relieved face.

"You don't have to thank me." He said. "I was just following orders."

"Orders you pushed your superiors towards." I commented and he nodded, turning his head slightly aside. The gesture made him look like a kid trying to figure something out.

"Was that why you called me?" He asked. "You wanted to thank me for saving your brother?"

"Yes, but I also wanted to apologize." I said, ashamed. "I said some things last night that I regret now, so I wanted to say I'm sorry."

"It is alright." Castiel said with the odd smile of his again. "You were not thinking rationally, because of the exhaustion and desperation."

I laughed bitterly. "You just don't know how to accept gratitude, do you?"

"I do not act for gratitude." He replied, confused as to why I would think differently.

I opened my mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"I think it would be best if you –" I heard a flutter of wings and turned to see him already gone. "- go." I completed, and opened the door.

Standing there with something in his hand was Spencer.

"Is there a case?" I asked. "Why hadn't you guys just called –?"

"I didn't connect the dots, you know." He interrupted, pushing me and walking into the room. "Not until Henriksen arrived."

"What?" I asked, dazed. "That was over a year ago."

"Not until he arrived here," he said. I don't think I've ever seen him so angry at me, not since he was using. "Until he arrived _here_."

He handed over what he was holding – I could see it was a book now – and I looked at it.

"_Supernatural_?" I read aloud.

"It's a nice series of books." Spencer said. "The woman at the store recommended, so I bought it, and it turned out to be very interesting. It's about two brothers, Sam and Dean, looking for their father, John."

I paled.

"Every now and then their sister is mentions, but never by name." He continued. "Most of the fans think she doesn't even exists."

"Spence…" I tried, but he cut me off again.

"They go into all sorts of trouble. 'Fighting the Supernatural in this world so the rest of us can sleep better at night.'" He quoted. "But sometimes, they get involved with messy things. So they attracted the attention of an FBI agent. He came while they were hunting a Shape-shifter at a bank. Told them he would come after the sister," he looked at me accusingly.

"Spence, you've got to understand –"

"What I want to understand is whether or not it's all real." Spencer said, before looking at me expectantly. "Well?"

My reply was barely more than a whisper. "Yes."

"And you were never going to tell us?" He questioned. "Would you have ever told us any of this? Or would your life have just remained a secret forever?"

"Would you believed me?" I retorted. "Had I told you would you believed me or would you just threw me in psych ward?"

"You never checked, have you?"

"How?" I asked, hurt by his words. "How can you tell people our world is filled with Demons? Vampires? Werewolves? If I told you that my mom was killed by a Demon when I was four and that John became a hunter trying to find and kill it, how do you think you would have taken it?"

"Try!" He called.

"I _have_ tried!" I called back. "I _tried_ to put this life behind me! I _tried_ to have a fresh start! I _tried_ to keep you safe! Safe from things that are way beyond your understanding."

"Does anybody else know?" I nodded. "Who?"

"Garcia, Hotch and Strauss met a Demon once, while he was after me," I said, "and Rossi came from a family of hunters. That's how he knew my mom, she was also a hunter."

"Garcia and Hotch met a Demon?" Reid asked, as a sudden realization crossed his face. "Have we ever tried profiling one?"

"Once or twice." I said. "Mostly, the Demons stay off our radar, but we had a couple of cases with Vamps, and one with a werewolf."

"What did you do on those cases?" Reid asked.

"Waited until we called a cold case and told Bobby to send a hunter." I replied. "Lately, Rossi simply calls somebody he knows."

"Have we ever _closed_ a case with a supernatural creature? _Don't _lie to me." He added, seeing my hesitation.

"There was one case I _think_ might've involved the supernatural." I said carefully. "But I'm not sure if I'm right."

"Which case?" He asked.

I sighed. "It's not for sure, Spencer." I said. "I might be wrong. I still don't believe it myself."

"Who was it?"

"Please, trust me on this one." I pleaded. "You really don't want to know."

"I really do." He insisted. "_Who was it?_"

I looked away in shame, not wanting to see the look on his face. "Tobias Hankle."

For a couple of moments, there was silence before Reid spoke again. "How long have you known?"

"Less than a day." I replied honestly.

"Was he possessed?" Reid asked.

"You can say he was…" I said. "Part of the time, at least. He really did have Multiple Personality Disorder. But Raphael was real."

"An _Angel_?" Reid asked.

"I know." I said bitterly. "Only found out about it last night. They… how far have you read?"

"Up until 'No Rest for the Wicked'." Reid replied. "The one that ends with Dean being…" He trailed off.

"Dragged to Hell." I completed.

"Is it true? Is he really in Hell?"

"Was." I said.

Reid looked bewildered. "What?"

"He _was_ in Hell." I said. "Until yesterday."

"What had changed?" He asked, confused.

"I told you already." I said quietly. "I only found out about the Angels last night."

"Alright." Spencer said, rubbing his temples. "We're going to sit down and you will tell me everything. And I mean it, Chessi. _Everything_."

* * *

I did tell Reid everything eventually. Starting the fire that killed my mother and up until the dreams I've been having. I told him about what his mother knew, and about the help she gave my father when he just started hunting. I even told him about the Child of Creation thing, something I've told no-one so far.

It was nice, to have someone to talk to, for a change. I didn't know how much I needed it, how much I missed it, until now. It was something I last had with Ash when I was seventeen. I just wasn't the type of person to tell people the entire truth. I hid the parts I was ashamed of, or the parts I thought it was better if they didn't know.

Apparently, it was mutual.

"Hey, Peanut, how're you doing?"

"I'm fine, Bobby, how are you?"

"Me?" Bobby shrugged. "Same as usual."

"Really?" I questioned. "No unexpected visitors? Any old friends dropping by to visit?"

"So you know." He sighed.

"Yeah," I replied. "I know. Now would you please explain me why haven't _you_ told me? Or, better yet, why when Dean asked you to call me, you _refused_?"

"How do you know that?" He asked.

"What part of 'When I sleep I live Dean's life' didn't you get?" I retorted.

"Listen, Peanut, you gotta understand I did what I thought was best for you."

"What _you_ thought!" I repeated. "Because I don't get to have my own opinion. I don't get to be asked what _I_ want you to do when it comes to my life. _Mine_."

"You have enough crap of your own going on." He said, not sounding the slightest as if he was sorry. "You don't need their crap on top of that."

"Their crap is also my crap, Bobby." I said. "When Azazel was after them, he was after me, too. When Dean sold his soul, I was in Hell, too. Hell, half of my crap is _because _of their crap."

"Which is exactly why you should stay away." Bobby said. "This is how things end up for you when you're away from them. What do you think would happen if you start being in touch again?"

"I had the right to decide for myself." I insisted.

"Not this time." Bobby replied. "Not when you would have made the wrong choice."

I sighed. "God, I hate you sometimes."

"You mean when I'm right?"

"Shut up." I laughed. "So what's the thing with the witnesses?"

"You know, eh?" There was silence on the line for a minute or so as he waited for me to comment and I refused to let him push the subject away. "Nothing that you should be worried about. The witnesses were people who died from a supernatural cause and we couldn't save. You didn't hunt for years."

_There were still people I couldn't save._ I thought. _A very specific, Multiple Personality Disordered people._

"Be careful, would you?" I asked.

"You too." He said. "And if anything supernatural walks within ten feet of you, you give me a call, alright?"

I thought back at Castiel and at how not only was he less than ten feet from me, I _hugged_ him. "Sure I will." I lied smoothly. What Bobby doesn't know won't hurt him, right?

Right?

I hung up the phone and walked to the kitchen, took the bag of salt from under the sink and poured it on the windows and doors, thinking I was better safe than dead. Just as I walked to the last windowsill, I saw a man standing in the middle of the living room and looking at me.

"I knew this was going to happen," I said, "and I want you to know I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Tobias asked. "Sorry for what? For letting me die? For not saving me? For letting an Angel _possess_ me?"

"I didn't know –" I started but Tobias cut me off.

"You should've known!" He called. "You should've known better! You should've found a way to save me, like I tried to save you!"

"You were beyond saving, Tobias." I said calmly. "I couldn't stop Charles."

"You could've tried harder." He replied, walking towards me. "But it doesn't matters now." A wicked smile crossed his lips. "Someone wants to talk to you."

"No." I begged. "Please, no. Fight him, Tobias, I know you can."

"But he doesn't want to." Came Charles's harsh voice. Even after close to two years, I could still tell the difference between Tobias's personalities. "He knows you deserve it, Sinner. And there's no Raphael to save you now."

"Castiel!" I called, suddenly scared. "Castiel, please! Somebody! Anybody!"

"Nobody can help you now." Charles smiled. "There's only you and me here, child."

"I wouldn't count on it." Said a voice. The wrong voice, not Castiel's. A hand passed through Charles' form and it burned in a blue light, leaving me shivering against the wall.

I looked at my savior. "You're the Trickster." I said, and then squinted my eyes a bit. "No, you're not."

The man looked like the Trickster in my dreams of Dean but different. He had a vibe I couldn't explain and something about him indicated that he was more than just a Demigod. He reminded me of Castiel somehow.

"You're right," the man said, "both your statements are, actually. When your brothers met me, they knew me as the Trickster. But that's not who I am."

"You're an Angel." I said and frowned. _How did I know that? _

"And you're on a winning streak." He retorted mockingly. "Gabriel, at your service."

"Gabriel." I repeated. "The Archangel? One of the Angels sent to protect the four edges of the earth? The Angel of Mondays?"

"Touchy subject over there." He laughed. "I don't like Mondays."

"I bet you don't." I mumbled. "How did I know you're an Angel?"

"My best guess would have to be you saw my Halo." He said. "Not many humans can. But, then again, I shouldn't have expected less from the Child of Creation."

"Oh." I said bitterly. "That. Is that why you saved me?"

"Dear God, no." He replied.

I ignored the odd feeling I had that the Angel just committed blasphemy. "Then why?"

"Maybe I thought you reminded me of myself." He sighed. "Ran from home, cut off your brothers because you couldn't stand them fighting all the time, couldn't bare the absence of your father. Or, maybe," he smiled, "maybe I just liked the idea of a Winchester owing me."

"I'm not a Winchester." I said coldly.

"I've heard." Gabriel smiled. "You're a Chess now."

"Damn straight I am."

"Well then, Chess," Gabriel continued, the annoying smile still on his face. "I guess I'll just see you around."

"Wait!" I called and he stopped. "I'm the Child of Creation. Everybody keep saying that. Lilith, Raphael, Castiel and now you."

"Yes." Gabriel clarified.

"What does it means?" I sighed. "Why is it important?"

"It means you are powerful." He replied. "More powerful than you imagine and more powerful than either the Angels or the Demons want you to realize."

And with no further explanation, he vanished.


	7. Normal as it Can Get

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Criminal minds.**

* * *

**"Normal is how you perceive normal,  
Not what others tell you is normal."  
Sean Thomas**

I was rebuilding myself step by step, one day at a time. I worked on cases, questioned witnesses and for the most part, managed to keep my mind off Dean and Sam. But only for the most part.

The smallest of things reminded me of them: interviewing a victim's siblings, watching the local officers load their guns, unpacking my bag at the hotels.

On one case, Reid and Prentiss were taken hostage, and I was slowly losing my mind until they got out, safe and sound. It was unnerving and before I had the chance to relax, we were working a case of couples being murders after they signed in at roadside motels.

I was teamed with Rossi for questioning at the motels. Our profile indicated it was a man who worked at one of those motes and hated women. As it turns out, that was nearly all of them.

"You get a lot of people staying over?" Rossi asked at one motel as I was trying to keep my mind away from all the bikes in the parking lot and focus on the case.

"Some hard-Core riders." The man replied. "Guys come up here for a night or two."

"Ever get any couples?" Rossi asked.

"You know any girls who'd stay here?" The worker asked just as I noticed a black motor behind him.

"Is that an FL POLICE '75 Harley?" I asked, running to it and turning to the man who stood next to it. "Where the Hell did you find one?"

"Yeah." I heard Rossi say from somewhere behind me, the smile clear in his voice. "I think I know just this one." He nodded at my direction. "The rest of them must think it's a bit messy."

"Yeah." The worker replied, not sending another look at me. "They might get dirty."

"Dude, you've _got_ to give me some tips on how to keep it like that." I told the biker. "I barely have time to work on my Ducati."

"Chessi." I heard Rossi call and turned to him.

"Yeah. Sorry." I turned to the worker who looked at me weirdly. "So the rentals keep you busy." I said.

"Tourists, mainly." He replied. "Most locals have their own."

"I imagine it's pretty easy to get yourself turned around out there." Rossi said.

"I guess." The man said half-heartedly. "But it's faster getting around on trails than on the roads."

"So, you run this place alone?" I asked.

"More work, more money."

"Do you mind if I keep this?" Rossi asked, showing him the brusher in his hand.

"Help yourself." The man said.

"Thanks for your time." I said and handed my hand for him to shake. I didn't miss the look of hesitation he had on his face before complying, probably in order to not seem disrespectful.

"How are you?" Rossi asked when we entered the car.

"I'm better." I replied, pulling out of parking and driving away. "You'll never believe what happened. An Angel pulled Dean out of Hell."

Dave raised his brow. "Are you kidding me?"

"No." I replied. "Ask Bobby. It really happened."

"Angels?"

"Angels." I smiled. "Or, specifically, an Angel named Castiel."

"Don't get anything into that head of yours." He warned.

"Like what?" I asked before I realized what he was talking about. "Dave!" I called. "What the hell? He's an _Angel_!"

"I know the look you had when you said his name." Rossi said. "Same look I had with my first two wives."

"Dave. _Angel_." I repeated. "That means that even if I wanted to, he's an _Angel_."

"So you want to." Rossi chuckled to himself. "Interesting. Anyway," he added in response to the look on my face, "I was talking about the case."

"I'm fine." I said.

"Really?" He asked. "This is our first case that involved rape since Lawrence."

"I'm dealing with it." I insisted.

"Diana," Rossi sighed, "please don't keep everything inside again."

"What do you want to hear?" I asked. "That it's killing me how this man treats women? That I keep thinking how close I was to ending up just like them, dead and humiliated?"

"But you're here." Rossi said. "You're safe."

"Yeah?" I questioned. "And what about Abby Corbin? Will she be safe, too? You can't promise that, can you?"

* * *

Eventually, Abby Corbin was alright, or, at least, as alright as it can get after you've been kidnapped, raped, and nearly killed. Reid, Rossi and I watched as she and her husband were loaded onto ambulances, and leaned against one of the SUVs as Prentiss approached us.

"Well, roadside motels definitely go on my list." She said. "Of things I'll never do again." She added, seeing Reid's confused face.

"You have a list?" He asked.

"You don't?" Rossi replied.

"But there's something about motels." I said. "I mean, sure, some are trashy and completely disgusting -"

"And are run by serial killers?" Prentiss asked.

"But it's also nice, in some ways." I completed, ignoring her. "It's cheap and it gives the feeling of a road trip."

"Yeah, I think I'll stick to the five stars hotels, thank you very much." Reid said.

"I'm with you." Rossi said. "I've had my fair share of motels and as nice as it can be, the room service isn't half good."

I pouted as everybody laughed. "Alright." I said. "Make fun of me. I don't care."

"Do you want me to ask Strauss to put you in a motel on our next case?" He asked.

"If you do, I'll show you that you don't need to run a motel to be a killer." I threatened. "I like my showers without mold if I can help it."

"It's going to take a while to get this mess cleaned up." Morgan said.

"Well, it's going to take a hell of a lot longer for that couple to recover." I said.

"They'll be fine." Reid said, putting a hand on my arm.

"At least they're alive." Morgan added.

"Barely." Prentiss said coldly. "If we'd gotten there five minutes later…"

"But we didn't." Morgan said. "Chessi, are you coming with me in the car?"

"I think I'll go alone, if you don't mind." I sighed. "I need a moment to myself."

They nodded as I entered the black car and started driving away.

_Why am I doing this to myself?_ I wondered. _For what do I need all of this pain for, all the killing, the psychopaths? Every time I think I saw all there is to see, another case comes by to prove me wrong. Will it ever end? Or will all this pain just stay there –_

"I never understood why you were so interested in Motorcycles." A voice said next to me, and I nearly drove the car into a tree.

"Geez, Cas!" I called. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"I've been watching you since you were a teenager." He said. "And you were always interested in them. I never understood why."

"A Motor is a work of art." I said. "To put all those small pieces together and build a two-wheeled machine that can drive long distances is hard. And after it's built, to maintain it is an art in itself."

"I do not understand." Castiel said.

"Never mind." I sighed. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to make sure you are alright." He replied. "To my understanding, it was a hard case and it affected you deeply."

"Every case is hard." I said, avoiding his question.

"Was this harder than usual?" He asked.

"Yes." I said. He didn't comment, only looked at me so I continued. "This woman was raped and nearly killed. And I know how she felt, because I was in her place before. Last year, during a case in Lawrence, I was the victim. I was the one who was tortured and I guess this case… it brought back some difficult memories."

"Are you better now?" Castiel asked, real worry in his voice.

_Wow._ I thought to myself. _It can feel!_

"Yeah, I'm better." I said.

"I do feel." He said. He sounded slightly hurt, as if I insulted him, and I realized…

"Cas," I said casually, "can you read my mind?"

"I do not understand that expression." He said.

"Can you… hear my thought or something?"

"I am capable of hearing your thoughts." He confirmed. "It is a part of the connection I have as your Guardian Angel."

"Oh, Cas." I sighed. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I… I understand you can feel, even if it's different from the way I feel. I didn't want to –"

"It is alright." He cut me off, but his voice was calm and nice. "Your apology is accepted."

"Can you…" I hesitated. "Can you always hear my thoughts?"

"I only hear it clearly when you are nearby." He replied. "If you are far away, I can only feel strong emotions, unless you address them directly to me."

"Okay," I said slowly, "that's not weird at all."

"I'm glad you seem to think so." Castiel commented before he disappeared.

"Sarcasm." I mumbled. "Trust me to try to use sarcasm when talking to an Angel. Will I never learn?"

* * *

"What are you guys doing here?" Reid asked as he walked into his hotel room in Vegas.

We were just after a long case involving a child abduction and he said he's going to stay for a couple more days to visit his mom. There seemed to be an unspoken agreement between Rossi, Morgan and me that we would be staying as well. In Reid's room.

"Hey," Morgan called as he saw the young doctor entering his room, "what's it look like we're doing?"

"Uh, breaking into my room and watching 'Days of Our Lives." Spencer replied.

"'Young and the Restless.'" Rossi corrected.

"I wanted to watch 'Days of Our Lives', but they wouldn't let me." I commented.

"Aren't you supposed to be on a plane back to DC?" He asked.

"You're supposed to be hanging out with your mom." Rossi said.

"And you're not." Morgan added.

"What's in the box?" I asked, jumping out of my seat and nearing him. "Riley Jenkins?"

"No, it's not…" Spencer started muttering. "That's actually not why I'm here."

"Reid?" Morgan asked. "Come on, man. Who do you think you're talking to?"

"You always stutter when you lie." I commented, opening the box and taking out files. "You should work on it."

"Don't touch the –"

"I know what this has been doing to you." Morgan said.

"Let us help." Rossi said. "Maybe together we can find out who killed him."

"I'm helping whether you want me or not." I called, ignoring the glare Dave sent in my direction.

"I think I might already know." Spencer said and I took my head out of the evidence box.

"So," I said, "tell us about the suspect."

"Truth is I don't know anything about him." Spencer said silently. "He's my father."

"Oh, Spence." I said, putting the files back in the box and walking to him, taking his hand in mine. "We'll help, however we can. You know that right?"

He nodded and took the box, putting the files neatly on the bed.

"Before we go down this road, you need to be sure." Rossi said.

"He's right." Morgan said. "Some rocks don't need looking under."

"But whatever you choose, we're here for you." I finished, and we all looked at him expectantly.

"My mind is sending me signals, I can't ignore them anymore." Spencer said.

"Mixed signals." Rossi commented. "It's what the subconscious is all about, you know that."

"Reid, your dad left you." Morgan said. "If you take it to the Freudian extreme, you can say he killed your childhood."

"Which could explain a dream in which you see him as a murderer." Rossi carried on.

"What do you think, Chessi?" Reid asked and I sighed.

"You've come this far." I said. "I say we keep digging. Investigate further but treat it like any normal case. Whether the signs lead us to your father or not, we follow them. Closer on any way we take."

"I've come this far." Reid repeated. "I'm not going back."

"We better start, then." Rossi said. "Tell us all there is to know about the case."

* * *

For the next hour or so, Spencer told us everything he knew about the case and we built a basic profile.

I came with him to the hospital when he asked Deanna about his father, but I was there more for the mental support than my profiling abilities, but I avoided speaking to the kid's father, and sent Morgan with him instead. When we found out that all those years, Spencer's father was working in the same company, right outside of town, there was no question on the matter. It was clear that the three of us were coming.

"Can I help you, gentlemen?" The secretary asked as we walked through the door. "Ma'am?"

"Yeah," Spencer said carefully, but then he seemed as if he lost his words.

I walked next to him and held his hand, giving him a little squeeze like he always did to relax me when Rossi told the secretary we'd like to speak with William Reid.

"Is he expecting you?" She asked.

"I don't think so." I said, showing her my badge.

"He's in a meeting right now." She said. "Why don't you have a seat and I'll tell him you're here?"

We nodded and I sat down as Spencer went to the bathroom and Derek was talking with Dave. Seventeen years. For seventeen years he was right here and never thought to drop by even once, to tell Spencer he was okay. I ignored the small voice in the back of my head that said I was doing the exact same thing and decided that though I never met him, I already don't like William Reid.

Thinking of the devil, the man just came out of his office and approached us. "You're with the FBI?" He asked.

"Yes, sir." Rossi replied. "Mr. Reid, I'm agent Rossi, those are agents Morgan and Chess.

"This wouldn't be about the city council investigation, would it?" Spencer's father asked with a smile.

"No," I replied coldly, "this is more of a personal matter."

"It's concerning your son." Morgan said.

"My son?" William repeated. "Did something happen?"

"That's what we're trying to find out." Spencer said, walking back into the room. He looked at the older Reid up and down for a couple of moments before speaking. "Hello, dad."

We questioned Spencer's dad for a bit, but when he closed himself to us and demanded a warrant, we backed off and returned to the hotel where Reid found a package at his room. A file with information about a man Spencer thought he might've known, along with the message, "You're looking at the wrong guy."

Garcia still did a check-up on William's computer and though she didn't find anything that might connect him to the murder, she did find a lot of files on one certain person: Spencer.

"He's keeping tabs on you." Rossi said. "That must be saying something."

"Yeah, he Googled me." Reid said coldly. "That makes up for everything. I'm going to get some air."

"I'll go after him." I said immediately and ran outside. "Spencer!" I called. "Spence, wait up!"

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Making sure you're good." I said. "I may not have had many friends in my life but I know that friends are there for one another. You were there when I needed you, and now I'm here for you."

"Thank you." He said quietly. "It means a lot to me."

"Don't mention it." I said. "And besides, if I ever had any doubt now I know for sure that you're in the crappy dads club."

"There's a club?" He asked with a smile.

"Of course there is!" I said. "We meet every Thursday night for pizza and poker."

"It's Friday." Spencer said. "You missed last night's meeting."

"Good thing we're in Vegas, then." I said, pulling him towards the Poker Machines. "You stay here, I'll get us some pizza."

* * *

"She said _what_?" I asked after Spencer told us of the conversation he had with his mother.

"It could have been you." Reid repeated. "She said it could have been me. It makes perfect sense – she knew about what my dad was doing!"

"She's not stable, Spence." I sighed. "You can't put stock in what she says, I don't need to tell you that."

"And I don't need to tell you this is textbook." Reid replied. "Father reroutes compulsion to molest away from his own son to a surrogate."

"The woman thought Riley Jenkins was an imaginary friend until you told her otherwise." I said.

"The mind's way of suppressing memories she doesn't want to face."

"You're losing objectivity here." I said. "You might've misunderstood her."

"I'm not trying to say I know what happened, Chessi." Reid said. "Or how my dad's involved. But my dad is involved."

"What about the other guy?" I asked. "The one whose picture and file was in your room."

"Misguiding." Spencer said. "Trying to take the focus away from himself."

"But you're still looking into it, right?" I asked. "Spence?"

"Yeah, of course I'm looking into it." He said. But it will turn out as a dead end."

It didn't. Gary Michaels was nowhere to be found. Garcia checked everything that was registered under the name and arrived at a dead end. Either the man deleted himself from existence, or someone else did.

Spencer, of course, didn't agree to listen about it.

"It's him." He said. "I know it."

"You're not thinking rationally." I said. "He's family, and your judgment is blurred. Trust me. I've been there before."

"Gary Michaels fits the profile." Morgan said. "He fled town after Riley's murder, he's a better suspect than your dad, Reid."

"He's a convenient one." Reid insisted.

"Judgment." I repeated. "Blurred."

"Someone slipped the file under my door, Chessi," Reid said, "what am I supposed to think?"

"Maybe they want to help." Rossi offered.

"Maybe they're trying to protect him."

"Forget it, I'm leaving." I said.

"Where are you going?" Rossi asked.

"I need coffee." I replied and walked out the door.

I didn't even make it to the street corner when Castiel appeared.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I went out for coffee." I replied and he squinted his eyes at me.

"I can tell that you are lying." He said.

"One beer never did any harm." I said.

"It would to you."

"Dammit, would you just leave it alone?" I asked. "One beer. One goddamn beer would not kill me."

"It would be worse if you relapsed." Castiel said seriously. "You have worked so hard to stay clean, Diana. Do not throw it away. What is going on?"

"You mean other than the fact that my best friend thinks his dad's a pedophile and won't listen to reason when we try to explain him he's wrong?" I asked bitterly.

"Yes." Cas replied. _Sarcasm_. "Other than that."

"Nothing." I sighed. "If I'm not getting my beer I'm going back to the station."

"Why?" He asked, confused.

"Because Spence will see reason soon." I replied. "And when he will, he'll need me. And I have every intention of being there for him."

* * *

The case went on. Lou Jenkins was brought for questioning and Reid's mom remembered what happened. We set up a private room for them to talk in, but right before he entered, he held my hand.

"Would you come in with me?" He asked.

"I will," I said, "but I will not say anything. This is between you," I marked at his parents who were in the room already, "and them."

We walked inside and sat down, and I held Spencer's hand as his mom told us what had happened.

"I'd seen him around at your ball games, at the park." She said. "You used to play chess there, do you remember? You played with him once."

"With Gary Michaels?" Spence clarified.

"I didn't know that was his name back then," Deanna said, "but it wasn't unusual for you to play with adults. And you'd win, too."

"Did he do something to me?" He asked, pressing my hand tighter.

"Oh, no." Deanna said. "God, no. It never got to that point. But when I saw the way he looked at you, I knew what he was. I could just tell."

"A mother knows." Spencer said.

"Yes."

"So, you told Riley's dad." Spencer pushed forward.

"Two nights later, Lou called the house." Deanna continued. "He was agitated. He said he needed me to meet him. I sat there." She said, the panic from the memory clear in her voice. "I couldn't move, it was like a dream. That paralysis in the face of something terrible."

"What happened after that?" Spencer asked.

"It's okay, Deanna." William calmed his wife. "Go on."

"At some point, I found myself walking towards the house." She said. "And the rest… It's all dark after that."

"You came home." William completed. "She couldn't talk at first. But eventually I came to understand what had happened. And I knew that nobody could ever know."

"So, you never told anyone?" Spencer asked.

"No, she could have been implicated." William replied. "And I had to protect her."

"You were burning _her_ bloody clothes." Spencer understood.

"But the knowing," William continued, "you can't burn that away. It changes everything."

"Is that why you left?" Reid asked. His grip of my hand was so tight it was painful, but I let him.

"I tried to keep us together, Spencer. I swear to you, but the weight of that knowledge, it was too much."

"You could have come back." Spencer said, tears in his voice. "Could have started over."

"I didn't know how to take care of you anymore." William admitted. "When I lost that confidence, there was no going back."

"What's done is done." Deanna said. "At least now you know the truth."

"I was wrong about everything, I'm sorry." Spencer said.

William stood from where he was and approached the couch Spencer and I were sitting on. I stood up and stepped aside, letting him sit by his son. "I am, too, Spencer."

"You take good care of him, alright?" Deanna asked me quietly. "I understand you're not together but I'm asking you. Keep my baby safe."

"I will keep him safe." I said. "I swear."

* * *

As Reid and I walked into the hospital to visit JJ and her newborn baby, my mind was racing with thoughts. At the end, Reid's father really did care about him. He did what he could to keep his family safe. Even if it meant not keeping it whole.

_Wasn't it just what John did?_ I wondered. _Just what I am doing right now?_ _I'm trying to keep my family – my BAU family – whole and safe. Safe from all that there is in this world._

"Is there room for two more in here?" Reid asked when we stood at the entrance of the room.

"Spence," JJ said, "Diana."

"Welcome back." Hotch said.

"Congratulations." Reid said.

"Thank you." Will, the baby's father, said.

"How is it that I just went through 15 hours of labor and you look worse than I do?" JJ asked. To be honest, she looked pretty good. She had a halo of happiness around her as she held her baby.

"Don't be ridiculous." Reid said.

"You look beautiful." I added honestly.

"Well, I could sure use some coffee." Will said. "Anyone else?"

Everybody nodded and left the room and I intended to follow them but Reid's hand grabbed mine and I stayed where I was. After everyone were out of the room, he let it go and we neared JJ's bed.

"You ok?" JJ asked.

"Yeah, yeah." Reid replied. "You?"

"Yeah, are you sure?" She asked. "Because there's something I wanted to ask you two, but it can wait."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Will and I were talking, and…" She looked nervous for a moment but then it changed back into the confident woman I know. "We want you to be henry's godparents."

Spencer and I stared at her with shock.

"I don't even know –" Spencer said.

"I don't know how –" I started.

"Here," JJ cut us off, handing the baby to Spencer's hands. "Do you want to hold him?"

"It's ok." I said, immediately turning into protection mode over both Reid and the baby.

"Here you go." JJ said. "Watch his head. There you go."

"Hello, Henry." Spencer said.

"If anything should happen to us," JJ said, "it's up to you two to make sure this boy gets into Yale."

"Yale." I repeated.

"Yale?" Spencer asked. "Do you want to go to Yale, Henry? That was your godfather's safety school. Don't worry, I can get you into Cal-Tech with one phone call."

I laughed at that and Spencer handed the baby over to me. I held him in my hands, amazed by how something can still be so pure and beautiful, so untouched in this cursed world I know all too much about.

Even between Demons and Angels, between the upcoming Apocalypse and whatever part my brother may be playing in bringing it or stopping it, there is still good. There are still things to fight for. And there is still hope.

And at that moment, for me, that hope was named Henry LaMontagne.


	8. Past, Present, Future

**"Look not mournfully into the past, it comes not back again.  
Wisely improve the present, it is thine.  
Go forth to meet the shadowy future without fear and with a manly heart."  
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow**

"Son of a bitch!" I called out, fighting the urge to kick my Motor. "Come on, Darlin', you can't do that to me right now."

"Is everything alright?"

I turned around at the voice, seeing Tom, the neighbor from upstairs, walking out of the building. He was a lovely middle-aged man I met once or twice after his wife invited me for tea in their apartment.

"My Motor won't start." I said, annoyed. "And I'm already late for work."

"I work at a repair shop." He supplied. "One of the new kids is good with bikes. I can take it and let him have a look."

I hesitated for a moment. Usually, when Darlin' broke down I repaired it myself, but with the job at the BAU, I couldn't tell when I would have the time.

"I'll come with you." I said. "Nobody's touching my Darlin' when I don't meet them first."

"You treat this motorcycle like a baby." Tom laughed as he helped me load it onto his pick-up truck.

"It _is_ my baby." I said. "I build it from scratch."

"Really?" He asked. "You never told me."

"I grew up at a salvage yard." I said. "For my sixteenth birthday, my uncle said I could have whatever ride I wanted – as long as I was the one fixing it. I wandered around for nearly a week when I saw the Scrambler. Took me nearly a month but I got it to work."

"At sixteen?" Tom asked with a low whistle. "Impressive."

"Never took it to a garage until today." I said when we parked outside.

"Wait here a moment and I'll bring someone to help you take your Darlin' off the truck." Tom said before he entered the garage and called, "Daniel!"

A man approached us and smiled at me, before reaching out and taking the motorcycle off, examining it.

"That's some good ride over here," he said with a smile, "How'd you get it?"

But I was too shocked to reply. "Johnny?" I whispered.

The smile drifted off his face. "Who are you?" He whispered angrily. "How do you know who I am?"

"Chessi, don't you have a job to get to?" Tom asked.

"Chessi?" Johnny – Daniel – questioned, as realization crossed his face. "What's going on, _Winchester_?"

"I'll explain everything later." I said. "I promise. I'll be out of town for a couple of days but I swear I'll tell you everything when I'll be back." I turned to leave before I paused and looked at him again. "Darlin' won't start." I said. "I think it's something in the ventilation, you can take my number from Tom if you need something." I added before I ran away and stopped a taxi.

I was already late so I texted Garcia, who in reply told me to go straight to the airport and that I'll get briefed on the jet. The driver tried to start a pleasant conversation but I didn't cooperate, mind too busy with thoughts.

What is Johnny doing this far away from Cambridge? What happened to the repair shop he was running there and _why_ did Tom call him Daniel?

I knew I wouldn't get answers to those questions so I pushed them away and paid the driver, running to the jet.

"You missed briefing." Hotch said. It sounded like something between an accusation, a statement and a question.

"Needed to take Darlin' to the garage." I said shortly. "What did I miss?"

"Someone's killing cops in Phoenix, Arizona." Rossi said. "We believe it's a serial killer."

Agent Todd – JJ's replacement - passed me the case-files we had so far and I read into it. It occupied me during the take-off, which was always the worst part, and just as we stabilized, the speaker started beeping.

"Go ahead, Garcia." Hotch said and we all pause to listen.

"Okay," she starts, "while you birds have been in the air, I got the 411* on the first shooting.  
Apparently every Saturday night, phoenix PD sets up a DUI checkpoint."

"Is that common knowledge?" Prentiss asked.

"Yup." Garcia replied. "Public awareness is part of the deterrent. So our unsub blows past said checkpoint at 90 mph, and is pursued by an officer Jason Kessinger. Kessinger pulls the car over, approaches the driver's side window, where he is shot in the throat. Oh, no." She sighed. "He was a single parent, two daughters."

"So, the unsub planned ahead," Rossi comments, "used the DUI stop to set his trap, and then lured the officer to his death."

"It could have been personal." Prentiss offered. "The Unsub might have had a problem with these particular officers."

"Or with law enforcement in general." Hotch said. "He's sending a message."

"Criminals, gang members, academy washouts, security rent a cops, teenagers, and that's just a start." Reid said. "I mean, the list of people who have a problem with police officers is a long one."

"The victims were shot in the neck," I said, looking at the pictures, "so the Unsub knew they'd be wearing body armor."

"And he used a DUI checkpoint." Reid added. "I mean, both incidents show an active understanding of police procedure."

"Which narrows it down to anybody who watches television." I commented.

"We need to cover Victimology." Hotch summed. "Garcia, find out everything you can about the officers killed. See what they had in common besides their uniforms."

"Will do," Garcia said, "but I should warn you, it will not be a piece of cake. Because I have been on the phone with these guys all morning, and pulling files from them has been like pulling molars."

"Is there a problem?" Hotch asked.

"You know, aside from the obvious grief for their fallen compadres, and their fear of being used as target practice, I get the _distinct_ impression from their _crabby_ behavior, they are none too pleased their boss is outsourcing this investigation to the FBI." She warned. "So be prepared to hit a blue wall of resistance."

The flight continued silently and when we landed, Hotch advised we'd go to the police station together and see what we do next from there. We drove and reached it soon enough, and saw by a middle-aged man standing in the middle of the station.

"Commander Marks," Hotch greeted. "I'm SSA Hotchner. This is agent Todd. Agents Rossi, Prentiss, Morgan, Chess, and Dr. Spencer Reid."

"Thank you for inviting us." I said politely.

"And thank you all for coming." Marks replied. "Although I'd like to have a word if you don't mind."

"Of course." Hotch said. "Excuse me."

"Uh, Lieutenant Evans." Marks called and a good-looking man turned to us. "Lieutenant Evans will answer any questions the rest of you may have." Marks added and he and Hotch left.

"I'll call you later." Evans told the woman he was speaking with. "And you know you are always welcomed to see me and Sarah." The woman nodded and walked away and Evans turned to us. "Sorry, that was officer Kayser's wife." He explained and I recognized the name as one of the officers who was killed last night. "They'd only been married a couple of months. She seems to think that the FBI is here to save the day." He looked between all of us in a daring look before settling on me. "Is that what you're going to do, agents?"

"We're only here to help." I replied. "We don't want to take the case away from you."

"Of course you don't." He replied.

"Why don't you take us to the latest crime scene?" Morgan offered and Evans nodded.

"I'll join." I said, walking out of the station with them and immediately entering the passenger's seat.

Evans drove, which left Morgan in the backseat. Out of reflex, I opened the radio on my favorite station, and the music fills the small space.

"Never cared for what they do,  
Never cared for what they know,  
But I know."

"You have good taste in music." Evans commented.

"For a Fed or for a chick?" I asked.

"Both." He replied and I laughed.

"I think I like you, Evans."

"Please," he said, smiling as well, "call me Nick."

"See," Nick gestured at a signal found at the latest crime scene, "this is twelve's territory."

"And you think they're behind this?" Morgan asked, probably talking about the gang that rules this area.

"Does it matter?" Nick shrugged.

"Yes," I said, "it matters to us. You know this city and its gangs better than we do. We'd like to hear your theories."

"Ok," Nick sighed, "twelves has a captain. Street name playboy. Vice broke up a drug ring. Shot his brother, DOA. playboy thought he would kill us all."

"Well, it is pretty strong motivation," Morgan admitted, "but your commander said the dash cam only showed one attacker. Most 'bangers will bring some back-up just in case."

"Well, playboy runs the toughest crew in town." Nick said. "He's not 'most 'bangers.'

"Well, you said the dash cam only showed one attacker." I said. "Why show your face at all?"

"Because he had to." Morgan explained. "He wanted to take them both out at the house, but they broke protocol. Rodriguez approached the house by himself."

"Wait a minute," Nick started, "Are you telling me they screwed up?"

"No, Nick, I'm saying that they _split up_," I said. "They forced the Unsub to take them out separately, one here at the house and one at the car."

"That front unit's empty." Morgan said. "He could have set himself up there and waited. The element of surprise was on his side."

"Choice of neighborhood was deliberate." I added. "Neighbors around here are used to hearing gunfire."

"They'll blame it on the gangs," Morgan said, looking pointedly at Nick, "and so will the police."

"At least now, everyone with force knows he's out there." I said, trying to calm down the tension that lingered in the air. "It'll be harder for him to lure someone into his trap."

"Well, not necessarily." Morgan sighed. "Being a cop is always dangerous, but even with the extra back-up and rover cars added to the shifts, Phoenix PD's still going to have to do their job."

I sighed in understanding. "Which means walking into a potential ambush every time they take a call."

True to that, later that night, two officers were ambushed and attacked. One of them died at the spot.

Nick was standing next to the dead officer's partner, comforting him and I walked next to him and put an arm on his shoulder, trying to comfort him.

"He set us up." The officer said. "We knew he was out there, he still managed to set us up."

"I'm sorry." I said honestly.

"I watched my partner die," his voice broke, "and I couldn't do anything to save him."

"Don't worry, Ron." Nick said. "Playboy's going to pay for this."

"You saw playboy there?" I asked, surprised.

"No," Ron said, but –"

"We all know he did it, Agent." Nick completed.

I was taken aback at that. It seemed like Nick and I were getting closer, and that I started breaking through the wall Phoenix PD built to keep us out, even got as much as getting him to call me Chessi and not Agent. I guess that's gone now.

"No, we don't, _Lieutenant_." I said. _The two of us can play this game._ "You think I don't know how bad you want this guy? I spent more time as a teen at the police station near my house than at home. I used to sit next to one of the tables and do my homework, one of my best friends is the Sherriff there now. And I saw a lot of cops go down. Getting killed doing they're job, a cop's job, so don't think I don't know."

I turned to the officer next to us. "Officer, what happened when you got the call?"

"Nothing special." He said. "Report of an aggravated assault. We were on it."

"This your regular area?" I asked.

"We were additional tonight," He said, "added because of the shootings."

Nick and I exchanged worried glances. "Did you get a look at the guy?"

"Nothing." He replied, ashamed. "I was too damn scared. I'm still scared."

"You're not the only one." I said.

Another officer came and gave Ron his partner's hat. Inside, there was a picture of a woman and a child.

"My partner's family." The officer explained. "What am I going to tell them?"

"The only thing you can tell them." Nick said. "That we're going to catch the guy who did this."

"But the right guy." I said softly.

I started walking away and found out Nick followed me. I stopped and looked at him expectantly.

"What?" I asked after a couple of moment's silence.

"What did a girl like you do in a police station?" He asked.

"My uncle got arrested a lot." I said. "Mostly DUI but sometimes he got into bar fights, too. Police wouldn't let me release him myself 'till I was sixteen, so I just stayed there mostly, waiting for someone to come and let us go."

"Didn't they take you out of his custody?" Nick asked.

"They tried, once or twice." I shrugged. "Kept running away from foster-care and back to Bobby's. There was this one time I was arrested, when I was seventeen." I smiled mystically. "Joined a fight-club."

A small smile crept onto his lips. "I'd love to sit on a coffee and hear that story someday." He said.

"Someday." I said. Behind all of the people standing there, I thought I saw a familiar trench coat. "I need to go." I mumbled and ran towards it.

"Diana." The Angel greeted me.

"Cas." I replied. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to warn you." He said. "Your brothers are currently assisting in hiding Anna –"

"That poor chick you guys want to kill?" I asked. "I've heard."

"- and one of the ideas that were brought up in Heaven was to force them into helping us, by using you." Castiel finished.

"What?" I asked.

"Uriel and some of the other Angels think that by taking you as leverage, they can make your brothers do as they wish." Cas said.

"So you're here to take me to them?" I asked.

"No." I looked at Castiel in surprise. "Until I am told differently, my orders are to protect you." He said. He opened his hand before me and a necklace appeared. "Engraved on this necklace is an Enochian symbol that would protect you from any Angel that want to do you harm."

I took it and looked at it. "Enochian?" I asked.

"Language of Heaven." Cas replied. "Wear it." He urged and I immediately obliged. He smiled softly. "I believe what you say on occasions such as this is, 'it looks lovely'."

"Thank you." I whispered. "Why are you doing this? Why are you helping me?"

"It is my job to protect you." Castiel said. "In every way that I see fit. Go." He added. "You need to get back to your friends and Nick. You have nothing to worry about. You are safe."

He disappeared with a flutter of wings, leaving me staring for a couple of moments at the point he was standing seconds ago. Turning on my heel and walking away, I could only think one comprehended thought.

_How could he have known about Nick?_

"Fight-club." Nick smiled at me. "Must bring back the old days for you."

We were just about to raid an illegal fight-club, after finding out that our Unsub had a couple of other victim's before he started targeting cops, and that the first was going to this club.

I managed to get Cas knowing Nick's name out of my mind, after realizing he was probably there for a while before I noticed him, and heard some of my conversation with Nick. This whole mind-reading thing is going to take a while to get used to.

"Very funny." I said, but I still smiled. "I'm still not gonna tell you that story."

"Shame." Nick replied and we ran in.

The place was immediately filled with 'FBI! On the ground!' calls and I smiled a bit, remembering the night the club I was at was busted.

"Ain't breaking no laws here, officer." The man that seemed to be in charged said. "Agents," he added, seeing us. "No matter what it looks like –"

"I think he's trying to let us know they have a right to be idiots." Prentiss said.

"They do, but not here." Nick said. "Listen up, folks. This warehouse is not private property. It is owned by the city, which means you all are going to jail. Pack 'em up, let's go."

"We ain't hurting nobody," the man insisted, "except maybe each other."

"I know," I said, handcuffing him, "but we're still taking you in." a playful smile crossed my lips. "Unless you want to answer some questions and make all this go away."

"So ask me." He said.

"You know this man?" Rossi asked, pulling out a photo of the dead security guard.

"Yeah." The man replied. "Boom. I heard. But I didn't kill him."

"No, but someone who came here did." I said.

"No way." He replied. "Boom could take all of us."

"We aren't looking for a tough guy." Morgan said. "The man we're looking for probably lost every fight. He came in here trying to be a man, but he failed."

"Guy went down easily." I added. "Candy ass. Maybe even in his first fight. He probably reacted poorly to that."

"To the point where you and your boys, you ridiculed him." Rossi said. "All this led him to pick up a gun."

"There was a guy." The man said. "Called himself 'Animal'. Lost every fight, but he kept coming back, getting in Boom's face, calling him out."

"Most guys lose big, they run home, tail between their legs." I said, not understanding.

"Well, this one freaked." The man said.

Realization swept over me. "There's something about that hand at your throat, when you're beat." I said. "Knowing your opponent's got your whole life in his hand."

Everybody looked at me oddly, though I thought I saw appreciation in some of the fighters, boss man included.

"Yeah, it's primal, man." He said.

"When he lingers, that's what he's doing to his victims." I explained. "Proving his power over life and death."

"What's animal's real name?" Nick asked.

"There's no names here." I said. "Just nicknames."

"Lady's right." The man said. "Like me. I'm Beanie."

"Well, what do you know about this animal?" Rossi asked. "Anything at all?"

"Nothing." Beanie said and I sighed.

"That's the way it works, you know?" I said. "Don't talk about it."

"How about a description?" Morgan asked.

"Scrawny," Beanie said, "white trash. Thought he's a whole lot tougher than he is."

"Get him set up with a sketch artist." Rossi ordered and I nodded.

"Let's go, Beanie." I said and took him out of the building alongside Nick.

"You know a lot about the club, honey." Beanie smiled at me. "A lot more than you should."

"Yeah?" I asked, getting him in the car. "Interesting."

"What was your nickname?" He asked.

"The guys called me Doll when I arrived." I said with a smile. "Nickname kinda stuck."

"Well, Doll." He smiled. "I'd be glad to see what you've got someday."

"In your dreams, Beanie." Nick said, pushing him into the car. He turned to look at me. "Doll?"

"I was a seventeen-year-old in a club full of dudes." I said. "They barely even let me in."

"What made them change their minds?" He asked.

"I told them I could beat their top three," I smiled, "and I did."

"Do I want to know how you could fight like that at seventeen?" Nick asked. "Or how did you even look after that?"

"I'm full of secrets, Lieutenant." I smiled. "And I just love seeing you trying to uncover them."

We were just taking the killer into custody, after he took our bait and tried to kill Hotch when we were back from a false lead we had received. Morgan was taking him inside, while I stood and spoke to Nick a bit.

"You knew he wouldn't be at the first address." Nick accused.

"We figured he'd wait until Hotch was alone." I admitted.

"So the tip was a diversion." He said.

"Something like that." I smiled.

"Thank you." He said. "And your team."

"No thanks necessary, Nick." I said. "We did it together."

"How about we go for that cup of coffee you promised me earlier?" He asked.

"Don't you have a wife to go back to?" I asked. "I heard you talking to that woman, the day we arrived. You spoke about Sarah, your wife, isn't she?"

"Yeah." Nick smiled. "Six months pregnant. Light of my life."

"Go to her." I said. "You've got something good, don't ruin it."

"I won't." He said, and walked into the station.

"I'm so glad to have you back, Darlin'. Don't worry," I patted the motor, "I'll never leave you like that again."

"I'm glad to see you like what we've done." Tom laughed.

"It's great." I smiled. "Jo- Daniel, can I have a word?"

"Sure." He said. "I think I'm done for the day, why don't we go and have some coffee? I know just the place not far from here, and it looks to me like you've got some explaining to do."

"We both have." I muttered, but got on the bike non-the-less and followed him to the café.

We sat down and gave our orders, and I started explaining.

"After I finished learning, I applied to the FBI." I said. "Went through the academy, top scores at everything, and got into the BAU. I changed my name from Winchester to Chess to avoid trouble because of my brothers." I shrugged. "Not that it helped much. What are you doing here? And what's this whole 'Daniel' thing?"

"I shouldn't talk about it." He said, shifting uncomfortably in his sit.

"You know I won't tell anyone." I said quietly. "What's going on?"

"I joined Witness Protection Program." He replied. "My boss got involved in some deep crap - money laundering using the garage – and it was either that or jail."

"So you entered the program." I repeated.

"New name, new town, new everything." He said. "I'm not supposed to be in contact with people I knew from before. I built myself a life here, Diana. I have friends and a job I love, a _legit_ job. If anybody finds out…" He trailed off.

"Don't worry about it." I said. "I work hard to get to where I am now, too. If anyone will find out I helped you break the law, it could get me into big troubles."

"It's been a long time." Daniel reminded me. "The statute of limitations –"

"Does not make it any more illegal." I said, getting up. "I _will_ get my ass kicked out of the FBI. I won't tell anyone, if you'd keep my secret, too."

"Which one?" He asked. "That you know me, or about what's really out there?"

I looked at him. "I thought you didn't believe me." I said, half accusingly.

"I didn't." Daniel said. "Things changed."

"What happened?"

"One of my workers got attacked by a Vampire." He said. "Those kind of things make you see the truth."

"I'm sorry for your friend." I said honestly. "But I'm glad you at least don't see me as a wacko anymore."

"I was wrong." He said, standing up as well. "And stupid. I let my fear affect what I was thinking. I really didn't want to believe that monsters are real."

"You said I was crazy." I accused.

"I was stupid." He repeated. "I ruined the one good thing I've ever had."

"Daniel…" I started but he cut me off, pressing his lips on top of mine. I gave in for a moment before backing away. "We can't do that." I said. "_You_ can't do that. You can't just charge back into my life and assume we pick from where we start off."

"I didn't think I can." Daniel replied. "I'm asking for a chance to start over. Blank page."

"Why should I agree?" I asked.

"Just go on a date with me." He said. "One date."

"One date." I repeated. "No promises for more."

"Not asking for any." He smiled. "Tomorrow night. 8pm. I'll pick you up from your place."

"I might have a case." I warned. "I might cancel at the last moment, or even go away in the middle of it."

"I don't care." Daniel said. "I'll keep trying 'till you can." He pecked my lips once more and ran out, probably before I changed my mind.

I walked out of the door, dazed, and nearly bumped into the man who stood outside.

"I'm sorry." I said. "Didn't see where I was – Cas?" I took the sight of the Angel in front of me. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to inform you that you are of no danger any longer." He said. "The Angels decided that using you as bait is not the solution, and they are currently searching for other ways."

"Like threatening Dean they'll kill Sam?" I asked and Castiel looked at the ground, ashamed.

"I have to follow my orders." He mumbled. "Even at times when I disagree with it."

"It's okay." I was quick to relax the Angel. "I'm not mad."

"You're not?" He asked in disbelief.

"No." I said. "I don't agree with it, either, but sometimes there are things we have to do, even if we're not happy about it. I get it."

Cas nodded before he looked at the direction Daniel walked towards.

"The man you were with," he started, "he put his lips to yours. Why? Is it some kind of a farewell gesture?"

"Sort of." I said, thinking to myself that now is probably not the time to start explaining romance to an Angel.

"Im that case," he kissed my lips softly for a moment, before backing away, "farewell, Diana. Until the next time."

He disappeared again and I leaned on Darlin', hand at my lips.

I told myself it meant nothing. That he didn't even understand that it's supposed to mean something, and that I shouldn't even care. But the small voice in the back of my head kept pushing.

_If you shouldn't even care, because it meant nothing, why are you disappointed it didn't mean something?_


	9. Night Out

**A/N:**** This chapter was so hard! It's also shorter than the rest of them, but it's important for the rest of the plot so I decided to leave it as it is and hope I'll get the next chapte longer.**

**Hope you'd like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Superatural, Criminal Minds or any songs.**

* * *

**"Dating is like a game.  
If someone feels like they have won us over too easily,  
they won't see our value and will go elsewhere  
to find something they have to work a little bit harder for."  
Daniel Willey**

"I have decided!"

I jumped as I walked out of the shower and heard the familiar voice of Gabriel.

"What have you decided and why can't it wait until after I get dressed?" I asked.

He snapped his fingers, causing the towel to disappear from me. I almost jumped to hide myself behind something when I realized he formed a tight, green dress that sat on me perfectly. My hair felt like it was tied up, too, and though I couldn't see my face I would bet that it was fixed with makeup. Thankfully, the sandals that appeared on my feet, though fancy and nothing I would ever choose to wear, weren't heeled, so I still managed to walk around.

"I decided what I want." He continued as if nothing strange happened. "You owe me one," he reminded me, "and I decided what I want."

"Fine," I said, picking up my purse, "I'll play. What do you want?"

"I want you to go on a date with me."

I looked up at him with disbelief. "What?"

"You. Me." Gabriel raised an eyebrow in a manner that should have probably been seducingly. "Date."

"I can't." I said.

"Of course you can!" He said. "Come on. It will be fun."

"I mean," I said slowly, the way you explain something to a child, "I can't tonight. I already have a date. _Not_ with you."

"I'll bring you back before the date starts." He promised.

"He picks me up in thirty minutes." I said and Gabriel waved his hand at me.

"Trickster." He said.

"Angel." I corrected.

"Still can do it." He said. "I can take you out to an all-night date and not a single moment will pass."

"Why do you want this?" I asked. "What is it with me that everybody wants to take me on a date today?"

"It must be your charming personality." Gabriel said mockingly.

I laughed humorlessly before looking at the clock. "You return me to this exact moment?" I asked and he nodded. "If we're one minute late, I'm killing you."

"I know." He replied, offering me his hand. "Shall we go, m'Lady?"

"You are such an idiot." I laughed and took his hand.

Immediately, we appeared in a room full of people. The music was blasting through the speakers and I saw people turning and jumping in the area not far from us.

"A dancing club?" I asked Gabriel when I comprehended where we were. "You took me to a dancing club?"

"One that plays your kind of music." He said with a smile, taking my hand and dragging me to the floor.

The song currently playing was Billy Idol's "Dancing with Myself", and as much as I wanted to pout at Gabriel for bringing me to a place like that, I couldn't help but enjoy the song. It really _was_ my kind of music.

We started dancing to the music. Gabriel turned out to be quite the dancer – he jumped and turned and danced, all while holding my hand and making sure I don't feel like he's forgotten about me even for a second. We danced to the sound of Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Till You Get Enough" and David Bowie's "Dancing in the Streets" before a new song, one I was unfamiliar with, started playing.

"So 1, 2, 3, take my hand and come with me  
Because you look so fine  
And I really wanna make you mine."

I looked at Gabriel in disbelief and he smiled, taking my hand and pulling me into a Swing-Style dance to the sound of the beat music.

"Oh, 4, 5, 6 c'mon and get your kicks  
Now you don't need that money  
When you look like that, do ya honey?"

He spun me around and threw me in the air, all the while singing into my ear.

"Big black boots,  
Long brown hair,  
She's so sweet  
With her 'Get Back' stare."

"You're an idiot." I informed him with a smile.

"I like it when you dirty-talk." He replied and I laughed.

"Well I could see,  
You home with me,  
But you were with another man, yea!  
I know we,  
Ain't got much to say,  
Before I let you get away, yea!"

He stopped and looked into my eyes, putting a hand on his chest as he theatrically sang:

"I said, are you gonna be my girl?"

We stayed at the club for about an hour after that, before I decided to call it a night so that I won't fall asleep during my date with Daniel.

Even though I realized by then that we were in a world Gabriel created, and that he could just 'zap' me home whenever he wanted to, he insisted we'd walk. Said something about sealing the date.

We walked silently to my house, commenting about one thing or another but mainly just enjoying each other's company. As we reached my house, I paused and looked at him. Uncertain of what to say, I opened my mouth to speak when he talked.

"You know," he said playfully, "I never got to dance a slow dance with you tonight."

A song started playing to the background, I rolled my eyes, took his hands, and came closer to him so we could dance to the sounds of Michael Jackson's "You are Not Alone".

"I had a really good time tonight." I admitted.

"Me too." Gabriel said. "It's been a while since I did this."

"Been on a date?" I laughed.

"Been on a date with someone I didn't create." He said

The laughter died in my throat. "You're alone all the time, aren't you?" I asked in realization.

"Most of the time, yeah." He admitted.

"Is that why you wanted me to go on a date with you tonight?" I asked. "You didn't want to be alone?"

"What? No!"

But he was a terrible liar.

"Gabriel," I said softly, "I really did enjoyed tonight and I would love to do it again. _As friends_." I clarified. "I need to go now, but tonight doesn't count as the one I owe you. If you don't want to be alone, all you gotta do is ask."

I kissed his cheek before backing away and entering my house. The moment the door closed behind me, the world Gabriel created for our date dissolved and the late night hour turned to evening. A quick look at the clock verified that Gabriel almost did good to his word to bring me back to the moment we left.

Almost, because it was one minute late.

* * *

"Reservation for two under McCloud." Daniel told the hostess and I couldn't care but cover a smile.

"McCloud?" I asked. "Really?"

"Don't start." He said as we walked towards the table. "It's not like Chess is so much better."

"Actually," I said as I sat down, "it is."

Daniel laughed and picked up his menu, looking at it. "I'd like a steak, and a glass of red wine." He said.

"Make that two." I said, and she walked off.

"So how's at Quantico?" Daniel asked. "What are you doing there? I bet you're working at International Connections, using all the languages you know."

"Actually, I work at the Behavior Analysis Unit and using all the languages I know." I replied.

"Profiler?" He asked. "Did anyone ever tell you profiling was sexy?"

"I have to admit, you're the first." I said. "Most people think it's weird that I catch serial killers."

"I'm not most people." He said. "Most people find it weird that a girl is calling her motor 'Darlin' and that she can take care of it on her own."

"And you?"

He smiled. "It's just one of the things that make me love you even more. What?" He added when I rolled my eyes. "I'm just being honest here."

"How's the work at the Repair Shop?" I asked and the conversation rolled to mechanics and cars.

The date flowed from that point on. We talked and laughed and retold old stories, and for a moment it seemed like nothing has changed.

When the desert arrived, I thought I saw him saying something to the waitress, but minutes passed and nothing happened, so I decided I was probably imagining it earlier.

Dinner was over, Daniel insisted to pay for both of us, and I went to grab my coat when the music started playing.

"Do you remember this song?" Daniel whispered in my ear.

"Of course I do." I replied, smiling softly at him.

"They played it at the restaurant on our first date." He reminded me.

"I said I always liked it, so you made sure they'll play it on every date we had." I said.

"Including today." He whispered, and pulled me into a kiss.

This kiss was different than the other two we had since he returned to my life. The first one, I was too surprised so I pulled off quickly, and the second was nothing more than a peck. This was _definitely_ more than just a peck, and this time I didn't pull off, but gave into the feelings that rose inside me, feelings I hadn't felt for a very long time.

We kissed, and the world melted into nonexistence around us. All that I felt was the warmth of his lips, the softness of his touch, and the music that still played as background to the scene we were a part of.

"I can't help falling in love with you."

Daniel pulled apart, causing me to lean forward in an attempt to make the kiss last just a bit longer. He looked into my eyes for a moment before clearing his throat.

"I should probably take you back home." He said.

"Yeah." I replied, trying to hide the disappointment I felt. "You probably should." He started walking towards the exit, and I intended to follow but my feet refused to obey. He looked at me questioningly as I offered casually, "Or we could go to your place."

A smile split his face apart. "My place it is."

* * *

_I was Dean again, leaning on the Impala with a bear in my hand while talking to Sammy about managing to escape the Demons and Angels._

_"Can't believe we made it out of there again." Sam said._

_"I know you heard him." Dean said, his voice shaking._

_"Who?"_

_"Alastair." The blood froze in my veins at the name of the Demon. "What he said about how I had promise."_

_So the boys met Alistair. How could I have missed that?_

_"I heard him." Sam simply replied._

_"You're not curious?" Dean asked in surprise. I was surprised as well. Even though I lived Hell with Dean, there were still moments I didn't experience, and I wanted to know what happened. You could only imagine what Sam's feeling._

_"Dean, I'm damn curious." He said. "But… you're not talking about Hell."_

_There was a couple of moments of silence before Dean spoke again._

_"It wasn't four months, you know." He said._

_"What?" Sam asked, confused._

_"It was four months up here," Dean said, and I remembered how I explained Dave and Bobby about Hell-time, "but down there… I don't know. Time's different. It was more like 40 years."_

_"Oh, my god." Sam whispered._

_"They, uh," I can tell how hard it is for him to bring up those memories, to remember all he's been through, and I feel his pain. As I always have. "They _sliced_ and _carved_ and _tore_ at me in ways that you…" He took a deep breath to steady himself. "Until there was nothing left. And then, suddenly I would be whole again. Like magic." He added bitterly. "Just so they could start in all over. And Alastair, at the end of every day,_ every one_, he would come over. And he would make me an offer. To take me off the rack if I put souls on. If I started the torturing."_

_The offer that broke my heart every time. The offer I sometimes wished Dean would take. Until the day he did._

_"And every day," Dean continued, "I told him to stick it where the sun shines. For 30 years, I told him. But then I couldn't do it anymore, Sammy." He said in shame. "I couldn't. And I got off that rack." Tears rose to his eyes. "God help me, I got right off it, and I started ripping them apart. I lost count of how many souls. The – The things that I did to them."_

_I could see Sam's face, the look that crossed them, the desire to take all that pain away from Dean, and agreed with it completely._

_"Dean," he said, "Dean, look, you held out for 30 years. That's longer than anyone would have."_

_"How I feel this inside me…" Dean choked on his tears. "I wish I couldn't feel anything, Sammy. I wish I couldn't feel a damn thing."_

* * *

My cellphone was ringing. It was ringing for about ten minutes already, and I finally gave up trying to ignore it, thinking that whoever it was on the other side wasn't going to stop. I moved a little so I could reach it, but a firm hand locked on my waist.

"Don't go." Daniel mumbled into my shoulder-length hair. "Stay."

"I need to pick up." I said. "They won't let us sleep."

He let go of me for long enough so I could answer the phone before I fell back on the bed next to him.

"Hello?" I asked, still half asleep.

"Chessi, where are you?" Garcia asked. "I've been trying to reach you in forever."

"I think I overslept." I mumbled. "What's going on?"

"A new case popped by." She said. "Briefing's in fifteen."

"I'm gonna be late." I said, slipping out of the bed and away from Daniel.

"What?" Garcia asked. "Why? Your apartment isn't that far away."

"Penny, I'm gonna be late," I whispered, "or I'll arrive with last night's clothes."

"_Oh_." She said. "Okay. I'll make sure briefing's in thirty. But you have to tell me everything."

"Fine, fine." I said, swallowing a yawn. "See you there."

"You need to go?" Daniel asked from where he was laying on the bed.

"Yeah." I said. "A case popped up and, apparently, I'm already late."

"I don't want you to go." He said. "Can't you call a day off?"

"No." I said harshly. "I'm not calling days off for anything less than a 911, ever. That's rule number one, and it's unbreakable."

"Alright, alright." Daniel said. "Will I see you when you come back?" He asked.

"Definitely." I said, leaning in and kissing him. "I'll call you once I'm back in town."

"Looking forward to it." He smiled and I walked outside.

I took a taxi to my apartment where I tossed away last night's clothing for something more work-appropriate and ran outside. Jumping on Darlin', I drove to Quantico where I ran to the conference room, where everyone were ready to start the briefing.

"Sorry I'm late." I mumbled as I sat down.

"No problem." Garcia said with a smile and I rolled my eyes.

Todd explained us about the case and we walked out of the room and towards the exit when Garcia caught my arm.

"Spill it out." She ordered.

"There's not much to spill out." I shrugged.

"You stayed the night." She countered. "There's so much to spill out."

"He's an old boyfriend from Harvard." I said. "I met him when I took Darlin' to the garage and he convinced me to give what we had a second chance. The date was last night and things just… clicked."

"I bet they did." She smiled. "When will I get to meet him?"

"Nowhere soon." I said. "Things may be nice right now, but he hurt me once before and I do not intend to let it happen again. Until I'm not sure what's going on between us, nobody can know."

"How did he hurt you?" Garcia asked.

"I told him about the supernatural world because I was tired of lying to him." I said. "And he called me crazy`."

"Wow." She breathed.

"Exactly." I sighed. "So until I'm not certain I won't get hurt this time around, too, don't tell anybody he even exists."


	10. Apology

**Hi, guys, I just wanted to say I'm sorry I didn't upload on Wednesday, and to apologize further because I'm not going to uplaod tomorrow, either...**

**I didn't forget about you guys, I just have a terrible writer's block but hopefully I'll manage to publish another chapter by this wednesday... I'm having difficulties writing the next two or three chpaters, having ****_no idea _****what to write in them, but after that I'm writing season 4 finale so it should start getting better since I have a bunch of ideas for season 5.**

**On the meanwhile, I've wanted to know what do you think about Daniel, because his character is about to get very important in this part, and to know if you want more Gabriel scenes, because I have a bunch of ideas for the relationship between him and Diana.**

**Reviews replies:**

**fanfic1892: Sam and Dean _will_ meet Diana again, it's even going to be on this part, and more than once (I have about two times where they don't know it's her and another two BIG times where they do) but a fair warning - things aren't gonna be that easy, they're still Winchesters.**

**Lizzy B: I am planning on having a Reid/Chessi relationship, but as it seems now, it won't last very long. Also, it won't be until season 7, because getting rid of all other competition takes time and heartbreaks.**

**Your reviews mean the world to me, please keep them going!**


	11. New Years' Eve

**A/N:**** Writing this chapter was Hell! It took me so long, and I deleted and changed so much before I was finally happy with the result...**

**I finished it yesterday, sent it to my lovely beta, and here you go!**

**The next chapter, by the way, is already mostly done and will be posted on Wednesday, as usual.**

**Tell me how you like it, so far.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Criminal Minds.**

* * *

**"Tomorrow, is the first blank page of a 365 page book.  
Write a good one."  
Brad Paisley**

The ringing of my phone woke Daniel and myself up, as it did most mornings these days. Every time I was in town, I'd call him and we would meet up. At first, we were going out on dates and watching movies, but every night ended in his bed, so we just gave up on the rest at a certain point. My apartment was practically abandoned – I only went there every once in a while for clean clothes or when I had free days and Daniel worked.

"Make it stop." Daniel mumbled. "It's too early."

"It's seven a.m." I informed him. "You need to get up soon, too."

"Not for another fifteen minutes." He said, getting up on one elbow. "How about we make the best of those fifteen minutes?"

"I really need to answer my phone." Was my only reply as I picked up the still-ringing device. "Chess." I answered.

"We've got a case." I heard JJ's voice from the other end of the line. "Local serial killer, briefing in twenty."

"I'll be there." I said, trying to ignore the soft trail of kisses Daniel was leaving on my collarbone. "I need to go." I told him.

"No, you don't." He said. "You need to help me make the best of the next fifteen minutes."

"I need to be at Quantico in twenty." I said as I pulled myself out of his reach. "The case is in town, though."

"So you won't bail on tonight?" He asked, eyeing me as I dressed.

"I'm not sure." I admitted. "I'll probably stay late."

"It's New Year's Eve!" He protested. "You can't miss our date on New Year's Eve!"

"Honestly," I mumbled as I quickly kissed him, "I sometimes wonder who the woman in this relationship is."

"If you'd stay for another fifteen minutes I'd remind you!" He called after me.

_However_, I thought to myself as I started Darlin' and drove to Quantico, _Daniel did have a point_.

When I was in Harvard and we dated, one of our first dates was on New Year's Eve. It was also the first time we kissed – the midnight kiss – so the date was important to both of us. Oddly as it was, Daniel remembered it, and he planned a nice evening for us both to celebrate it.

But serial killers don't care about plans, and therefore neither did I.

I parked my motorcycle and walked to the conference room, where I was greeted by curious glances from everyone but Garcia, who smiled knowingly, while JJ started briefing us.

"Tyra Marshal and Jinnah Borders." JJ said as we watched the pictures of two happy girls smiling at the camera. "They both disappeared three weeks ago while they were out on a girls' night out. Their bodies were found exactly one week later, mutilated and raped." She waited for a moment to let her words sink before continuing. "Amanda Robb was out with a couple of friends when she decided to call an early night. Her body, too, was found a week later, in similar conditions. And lastly, Lois Evart and Shona Timor. Disappeared a week ago, their bodies were found today."

"They were all taken on Wednesday nights, and murdered on Tuesday nights the next week." Morgan said.

"Clearly the same Unsub." Rossi said thoughtfully. "He works on a schedule."

"And the schedule means he'll take another woman tonight." I mumbled. "Any connection between the victims?"

"Other than the fact that they were all out at bars the night they disappeared, we've got nothing." JJ said.

"What about the bars?" Prentiss asked.

"We know what bar Amanda Robb was going to, thanks to her friends, but we can't tell what bars the other victims attended."

"The disappearances were here, in Virginia." Reid noted. "Why were we only called onto the case now?"

"There wasn't enough evidence to connect the victims in the first two cases." JJ explained. "One woman in opposite of two, girls' night out in opposite of drinking with friends. Only after the third abduction, we managed to establish a connection between the victims, and even then it was due to the state in which the bodies were found."

"Alright," Hotch said, "Reid, I want you on the geographical profile, Morgan, JJ, and Prentiss, question the family and friends of the victims and Rossi and Chess, you'll go to the club Amanda Robb was at with her friends."

We nodded and walked outside to do as we were told. I followed Rossi to the elevator, and later to the parking lot where he opened the passenger door for me. I got the cue that he was driving and pouted, but got in the car nonetheless.

Rossi started driving in silence, not saying a single word but sending glances at me from time to time.

"What?" I asked after a while, annoyed.

"Nothing." He said, clearly lying. "How are you these days?"

"Fine." I said. "Great, actually."

"Anything in particular?" He asked.

"No." I lied smoothly. "Nothing that comes to my mind."

"Of course." He said, parking the car. Before he opened the door, he turned to look at me. "You work with profilers, Chessi." He said. "I bet I'm not the only one who noticed you're always wearing the same three sets of clothes."

A blush rose to my cheeks as we stepped out of the car and walked into the club. We walked straight to the bartender and introduced ourselves.

"I am SSA Rossi and this is SSA Chess from the FBI." Rossi said, as we showed him our badges. "Do you mind telling us where the manager is?"

"Tom's not here right now." The bartender said. "But you can ask me whatever you want – I work almost every night."

"Of course." I smiled politely at him, and pulled out Amanda Robb's photo. "Do you recognize this woman, Mr. …?" I paused, looking at him in expectation.

"Dom." He provided. "André Dom." He took a long look at the picture before replying. "Yeah, it's the girl who went missing a couple of weeks back, isn't she?" He asked. "Police already came to question us about her. What are the Feds doing on a case like that?"

"We have a reason to believe Miss Robb's murder was only a part of a series of cases." Rossi said. "Do you recognize any of these women?"

Dom took another long look at the faces of the other four victims. "Maybe?" He said, uncertain of his answer. "A lot of people pass here every night, I'm sorry. I can't remember all of them."

"And yet you remembered Amanda Robb." I noted.

"Yeah, well, when police questions you about a girl gone missing, you kinda remember." Dom replied coldly.

"Thank you, anyway." Rossi said, forming a fake smile. "Here's my card, call me if you remember anything."

"Sure thing." He said as he watched Rossi nearly dragging me outside.

"What are you doing?" I asked the moment Dom was out of earshot.

"Trying to stop you from killing the poor man." Rossi replied.

"He's clearly hiding something!" I protested.

"I know that." He said. "But you have to remember that we don't have any evidence. No DNA left on the bodies, no eyewitnesses. He even worked that night, which means he probably has an alibi."

"What are we supposed to do, then?" I asked.

"As I see it, we have no choice other than to catch him in the act." Rossi sighed. "We need to come back here tonight and keep an eye on him."

"That means we need to let another woman get abducted." I said.

"If we're lucky, we can stop it from happening." He said. "But we have no other choice than to let him try."

* * *

"I don't understand why _I_ need to do this, too." I said as Garcia helped me get dressed before the team arrived. I was supposed to come with Rossi, but stay in the shadows and out of eyesight. "He already saw me – he knows I'm a Fed."

"We need every pair of eyes we've got." Garcia replied. "And that includes you."

"But why do I have to wear _this_?" I asked, motioning at the thigh-length party dress and the three-inch-high heels. "How do people even move around in this stuff?"

"With a lot of practice." She said before backing away from me. "Go on. Walk towards me."

I steadied myself and took a deep breath before walking two steps in her direction, nearly falling as I did.

"See?" She said with a smile. "Was it really that hard?"

"Yes." I growled just as a knock was heard on the door.

Rossi walked in, wearing a fine shirt and a neatly ironed pair of jeans. It was so odd seeing him dressed that way, so different from what I was used to, I just stood and gaped at him, causing him to frown.

"Does it look that bad?" He asked.

"No!" I called, back to my senses. "It looks fine, just… odd. It's very… not you to be dressed like that."

"The jeans are better than I thought they would be." He admitted, nearing me. "It's less uncomfortable than I thought." He looked me up and down. "That dress is way too short." He commented, going into protective mode.

"That dress is perfect!" Garcia called. "Don't you think she looks lovely?"

"Too lovely, if you ask me." He muttered but held my hand nonetheless. "Are you ready?"

"No." I said. "There is absolutely no reason for us being there."

"They might need help with chasing the Unsub." Rossi noted.

"With these shoes?" I asked, gesturing at my ridiculously high heels. "I can barely _walk_. You want me to chase down an Unsub?"

"Do you have anything better to do tonight?" He asked with a look that made it clear to me he knew what is the answer.

My mind took me back to the moment two hours ago, when Hotch informed me I will need to join them in the club. Of course, I immediately informed Daniel I couldn't make it to our date, and that wasn't a nice conversation.

_"You're doing what?" He asked._

_"Undercover mission." I replied. "Someone's kidnapping girls at clubs, and we're going there to try and catch him while at it."_

_"By posing as bait?" _

_"I'm not posing as bait." I said, annoyed. "I'm there as backup."_

_"On New Year's Eve?" Daniel asked. "Causing you to cancel our date?"_

_"That's my job, Daniel." I told him. "And it's coming as part of the deal."_

_"But if you told them you have a date for tonight, wouldn't they let you off this once?" I didn't reply. "Diana, you did tell them about us, didn't you?"_

_"Of course I have." I said swiftly. "Why wouldn't I?"_

_"For the same reason you didn't take me to your place yet." He said. "Because you don't trust me. You don't believe I really want it to work this time."_

_"No!" I called. "It's because I have a dangerous life. Had it even before I started working for the FBI. Creatures and demons and even angels follow me wherever I go, and I want to keep you safe!"_

_"Yeah, right." Daniel replied. "You know what? You say you don't trust me I'm serious about this? I think you're the one who's not serious. If you don't want this – tell me. But stop keeping me in the dark."_

"No." I told Rossi in response to the question he just asked, ignoring Garcia's stare on my back. "Nothing better to do tonight."

Rossi smiled, a smile that showed me he didn't believe a word I said, and walked me out to the street and towards his car. I leaned on his shoulder as I walked, afraid to trip or fall from the height of my heels, but eventually made it in one piece, and we drove to the club.

We arrived at nine thirty, nearly two hours after the club opened up and just as the place started getting crowded. Rossi and I stood in line with the rest of the people, playing the act of a couple, which, if I might say, was utterly gross.

As soon as we entered the club, we found ourselves an empty corner and sat by one of the tables, drinking soft drinks and keeping an eye on the place. Rossi looked at the exit, to check if there were any girls who are leaving the club on their own while I looked at Dom, the bartender we talked to.

I had a weird feeling about him, but so far, he seemed to be doing nothing other than his job.

On the dance floor, you could see Morgan, Prentiss and JJ dancing, and Reid sitting with Hotch not far from there, keeping an eye on the area.

Time passed and nothing happened. By what little information we managed to get about the kidnappings, the girls were taken at some point between eleven to eleven thirty. Eleven came and passed, and so did eleven thirty. When the time was nearing midnight, I started getting hopeless.

"I think we missed it." I told Rossi.

"What?" He asked.

"We missed it!" I called out, trying to make sure he heard me over the loud music.

"I think you're right!" He called back and I sighed.

"God, I hate parties." I muttered.

"What's not to like about parties?" Rossi asked.

"What is?" I replied. "Way too many people who drink way too much _and_ music I don't like."

"Maybe you've never been to a party with the right people." I heard a familiar voice saying from behind me and turned to look at it's owner.

"Daniel!" I called. "What are you doing here?"

"Just thought I'd go to a party." He said, smiling. "Wouldn't want to be alone at New Years' Eve."

"Do you two know each other?" Rossi asked.

"You could say that." I mumbled, knowing that he knows _exactly_ what's going on.

"Listen," Daniel continued, "they're playing our song."

I listened, confused as the music stopped, when I started hearing the crowd chanting.

"Ten! Nine! Eight!"

"No, no, no!" I called. "I'm working!"

"Seven! Six! Five!"

"Am I missing something?" Rossi asked, a hint of a smile on his lips.

"Four! Three! Two!"

"Daniel, don't you dare -"

"One! Happy new year!" everybody screamed and Daniel leaned in and kissed me.

I returned the kiss for a moment or two, letting the emotion swoop over me before pulling away and turning to a bemused Dave next to me.

"I think I'll tell Hotch you're taking the rest of the night off." He said with a smile.

"I think it would be best." I agreed and looked at Daniel again. "Let's get outta here."

"My place?" He asked but I shook my head.

"No. Mine."

* * *

I walked to the bullpen area the next day, a smile on my face as I enjoyed the last bit of happiness left from last night before being thrown back into the depressing world of kidnapping and murders.

"Somebody looks like she had a good time last night!" Morgan said with a smile.

"I really did." I replied happily.

"Who's the lucky fella?" JJ asked.

"And will we get to meet him soon?" Prentiss questioned. "Because if he's important enough that you left while on a case, it must be serious."

"He should come here today." I told them. "He has the day off today, so we decided we are going to move last night's date to today."

"Well, I hope you'd have a good time." Morgan said before the laugh drifted off his face. "I hope we finish the case today so that you'll be able to go out." He said worryingly. "Another girl was taken last night."

"26 years old Jessica Monroe." Garcia told us in the conference room. "Was out for drinks with some friends last night, her roommate said she never returned home."

"Couldn't she just be staying at someone's house?" I asked. "After all, it _was_ New Years' Eve last night."

"According to the roommate, she'd never do that without leaving a text." JJ replied. "And she was with us at the club last night."

"We missed her." Reid said gloomily. "She was right in front of us and we missed her."

"We know it's not Dom." Rossi added. "He was there all night."

"He's still hiding something." I mumbled.

"I think you're right." Prentiss said. "I only talked to him for a couple of minutes, but he gave me an odd feeling. And I saw him talking to Monroe."

"He probably talked to a lot of women." Hotch said. "Part of the job."

"And he has a rock solid alibi." Rossi said. "We saw him there. He couldn't have done it."

"He could have had a partner." I suggested.

"Our profile doesn't indicate a partner." Hotch said.

"Profiles aren't accurate." Prentiss said. "Just because we didn't think there was a partner doesn't mean there isn't."

"We could still be right." Reid said.

"I'm telling you he had something to do with the kidnapping." I said. "I just know he did."

"It's okay to be wrong sometimes, Chessi." Morgan said. "Sometimes our hunches are wrong."

"Are you even considering the possibility that I'm right?" I asked.

"Are you considering the possibility that you're wrong?"

"Alright, let's stop it." Hotch's stern voice brought us back to the present. "Morgan, Rossi and Prentiss, you go questioning possible witnesses. Chessi, JJ and Reid, you're staying here with me. Garcia, I need everything you've got about Jessica Monroe." He ordered and we all nodded before walking out of the conference room.

Three hours later found me with no progress regarding the kidnapping, walking into Garcia's room.

"Penny, I need your help with –"

I stopped dead track as I saw Prentiss already sitting in the room next to Garcia, looking at the screens.

"I'll just come back later." I said, but Emily stopped me.

"You need info about André Dom?" She asked and I smiled.

"You know me so well."

"So here's what I've got." Garcia said, typing at her keyboard so fast I thought the keys would fly away. "André Dom, twenty six years old, has worked at the bar for about a year now… Lives alone, no friends in the area, doesn't own any property… Oh, listen to this, he spent some time in jail for assaulting his girlfriend. Two years ago she spontaneously changed her mind so he got off."

"Two years is a long time for serials." Prentiss said. "Maybe he's taken more women we weren't aware of?"

"He wasn't a serial." I said. "It's very possible that somebody else drove him towards it, maybe the partner."

"How did they meet?" Prentiss asked. "During their time? Afterwards? Knew each other from beforehand?"

"He was cellmate to Michael Lebo for a while." Garcia informed us. "Lebo was in for sexual assault, and was released six weeks ago."

"Just before the murders started." Prentiss said before turning to look at me. "Think they'll listen to us now?"

* * *

The case closed that very day. Apparently, Lebo was the one who kidnapped, raped and killed the victims, but Dom assisted him because he owed him for saving his life in prison. We tracked Lebo down to the abandoned warehouse he was staying and rescued Jessica Monroe. She wasn't hurt, only scared, and I was relieved at that.

Dave and Hotch were mad at Prentiss and me, for going to Garcia behind their backs, and at Garcia, for letting us do it. Soon enough, though, they realized we only did it because they wouldn't listen, and they calmed down.

That evening, after we all finished paperwork and headed downstairs together, one of the receptionists called for me.

"Agent Chess!" She called. "You have a visitor."

I looked around, confused, before I noticed Daniel standing in the middle of the floor.

"I'll be right back." I told the team, starting to get nervous about all of them being there. I pushed it aside as I kissed Daniel.

"Hey, beautiful." He said. "How was your day?"

"The usual." I smiled. "A lot better now that you're here."

"Let's go?" He asked but I shook my head.

"Not yet." I told him. "First, you are going to meet my team."

Daniel looked at me, shocked. "You want me to meet your team?" He asked.

"Of course I do." I said softly. "Why'd you think I asked you to come pick me up today?"

I put my hand in his and we walked together towards where the entire BAU team stood and watched us.

"Daniel, these are my team members," I said, "Hotch, Dave, JJ, Derek, Emily, Penelope and Spencer, this is my boyfriend, Daniel."

"Nice to meet you." Daniel said. "I heard so much about you."

"Really?" Rossi asked with a smile. "Because we heard absolutely nothing about you."

I blushed before I was saved by an overenthusiastic Garcia.

"Speak for yourself!" She told Rossi. "Chessi told me so much – Except for the parts I wanted to know – Did you really know each other when she was in Harvard – how long has this been going on – I'm dying here!"

Daniel laughed as the questions came one after another, so fast he couldn't even speak. "I did know Diana when she enrolled at Harvard." He said when she stopped for breath. "We dated for a year during that time, and for almost two months this time around."

"I met him again when I took Darlin' to the garage a couple of months back." I said, still holding his hand. "He works there so he convinced me to give this another try and go on a date with him. and we just clicked together all over again."

"I hope you're being kind to her." Rossi said, faking casualty, and I stiffened a laugh.

"Have I mentioned Dave's my Godfather?" I asked. "A bit protective sometimes."

"We were just about to go to a bar," JJ said, "care to join us?"

I looked at Daniel. "Your call."

His face split apart with a smile. "Sure, why not?"


	12. Where the Lines Overlap

**A/N: Oh. My. God.**

**It's Wednesday. It's Wednesday and I'm uploading.**

**Wow.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Criminal Minds.**

* * *

**"When you find someone you want to spend forever with you,  
you don't let them go,  
whether forever turns out to be a day or a year or fifty years.  
Don't let the fear of losing them keep you from loving them."  
Nicole Williams, ****_Crash_**

_Dean and Sam walked into a motel room, after driving a long, dark road._

_"Home, crappy home." Dean said, as he turned on the light. Both him and Sam stopped at the sight that was revealed to their eyes._

_"Winchester and Winchester." Said Uriel, one of the Angels in Castiel's garrison. He sat on one of the tables, while Cas stood not far behind him, silent._

_"Oh, come on!" Dean called out in exasperation._

_"You are needed." Uriel said._

_"Needed?" Dean asked. "We just got back from needed!"_

_"Now, you mind your tone with me." Uriel said. The look in his eyes and the tone he was using gave me goose bumps._

_"No, you mind your damn tone with us." Dean said._

_"We just got back from Pamela's funeral." Sam explained, and the anger exploded inside Dean._

_"Pamela," he repeated, "You know, psychic Pamela? You remember her." He turned to Castiel. "Cas, you remember her. You burned her eyes out. Remember that? Good times! Yeah," he went on when he saw Cas wasn't about to comment, "then she died saving one of your precious seals. So, maybe you can stop pushing us around like chess pieces for five freaking minutes!"_

_"We raised you out of hell for our purposes." Uriel said, obviously losing his patience._

_"Yeah, and what were those again?" Dean asked. "What exactly do you want from me?"_

_"Start with gratitude."_

_"Dean," Cas tried, "we know this is difficult to understand."_

_"And we don't care." Uriel said, sending a dangerous glare at Cas. "Now, seven angels have been murdered. All of them from our garrison. The last one was killed tonight."_

_"Demons?" Dean asked and Uriel nodded almost undetectably. "How they doing it?"_

_"We don't know." Uriel replied._

_"I'm sorry, but what do you want us to do about it?" Sam asked, looking between the two of them. "I mean, a Demon with the juice to ice angels has to be out of our league, right?"_

_"We can handle the Demons, thank you very much." Uriel said._

_"Once we find whoever it is." Cas completed._

_"So, you need our help," Dean looked almost amused, "hunting a Demon?" _

_"Not quite." Castiel said. "We have Alastair."_

_"Great." Dean said. "He should be able to name your triggerman."_

_"But he won't talk. Alastair's will is very strong." Castiel shook his head. "We've arrived at an impasse."_

_"Yeah, well, he's like a black belt in torture." Dean said, obviously trying to insult them. "I mean, you guys are out of your league."_

_"That's why we've come to his student." Uriel said, and my heart skipped a beat._

_Please don't let it be what I think it is. Please._

_"You happen to be the most qualified interrogator we've got." Uriel completed._

_"Dean," Cas said, looking almost sorry, "you're our best hope."_

_"No." Dean said. "No way. You can't ask me to do this, Cas. Not this."_

_"Who said anything," Uriel said, smiling slightly, "about asking?"_

_The next moment he, Cas and Dean stood at the middle of an abandoned warehouse, a room next to where the Demon was currently held._

* * *

I woke up with a start, tears on my face and cold sweat covering my body.

This can't be happening. This just can't be happening. Dean… They… They can't ask this from him. They must know that, even by their standards, it's just too much to ask from him.

They may as well throw him back to Hell.

I took deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. I thought of Cas, and of how he said nothing to come to Dean's aid – how he said nothing to help – and it just didn't fit with the Angel I've gotten to know during the past four months since Dean was raised out of the pit. It didn't fit with the Angel I introduced to my boyfriend just before we headed to Boston for the case.

* * *

I was pacing around the living room, ready to go out to Quantico any moment, but wanting to do what I put off for two weeks already. Silently, I looked up at Daniel for comfort and support.

"You know," he said in an attempt to lighten the mood, "most girls are nervous about their boyfriend meeting their family and friends. Not their Guardian Angel."

"You've already met my friends, who are also my family, and we dropped by at Bobby's last week." I said shortly. "Cas is all we've got left. And I'm not most girls."

"Wouldn't expect any less of you, Chess." He said, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Well, delaying it any further will do no good." I said in an attempt to convince myself, before turning around. I prayed for Cas once or twice already, but never with someone in the room with me and the situation was weird at the very least. "Cas?" I said awkwardly. "Can you come here for a moment?"

Instantly, he appeared in front of me. "I heard your prayer." He said. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I just... this is so weird." I mumbled, causing Castiel to raise a brow. "Cas, this is Daniel. My boyfriend."

"Pleasure to meet you." Daniel said as he reached out for a handshake.

"Shake his hand." I whispered to Cas, who obliged even if somewhat oddly.

"It is nice to meet you too." He said.

There was an awkward silence which made me think for a couple of moments that this was a mistake, before Daniel said he needed to head off to work and kissed me goodbye.

"Was it that bad?" He whispered in my ear and I blushed.

"Have a good day." Was my only reply before he headed outside and I turned back to Cas.

"I do not understand." He said. "Why did you want me here?"

"I wanted to know what do you think of him." I said. "I'm guessing that because you're an Angel, you can see people better than I can. What do you think?"

"He…" Cas hesitated for a moment. "He is a good man."

"Yes." I said. "But what do you think about him?"

"He is a good man." Castiel repeated.

"Cas –" I called out, agitated, but he put a finger on my mouth, causing me to stop.

"Diana." He said softly. "He is a good man." He repeated one last time, and disappeared with a slight flutter of wings.

* * *

Thinking back at it, at the sad look on his face and the gentleness he always treated me in, I couldn't comprehend the scene I just saw.

Uriel calling the shots, rather than Cas? Cas asking Dean to torture Alistair? He knew what Dean's time in Hell did to me! He knew that the hardest part was to watch Dean losing his humanity by torturing others!

I sat there, and thought that maybe he didn't care for me after all. It was all an act, it must've been.

My thoughts, however, were disturbed by a phone call from Hotch. He said only three words before he hung up, and I immediately jumped out of my bed, got dressed and ran outside.

"It happened again."

During the last couple of days, we were handling the case of the Boston Reaper. Our unsub killed 21 people ten years ago, before he made a deal with the lead investigator on the case.

"If you stop hunting me, I'll stop hunting them. For as long as we both shall live, 'till death do us part."

A contract. A mutual understanding between them, that lasted as long as it said. Until the investigator died. And the Reaper started killing again.

When I reached the scene, I was shocked by what we found. The Reaper changed his course of act entirely. Instead of luring couples who drove in side roads, he got on a bus in the middle of the city. Killed all six passengers, in addition to the driver. Then, he proceeded to mutilate them, using their blood to write seemingly random numbers on the windows.

Hotch seemed to be taking it all rather hard, as apparently the Reaper called him and offered him the same deal as he did to the last investigator. The difference was that Hotch refused.

So the Reaper killed seven more.

"Do you believe in pure good and evil?" I asked Rossi as we drove back to the police station.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Do you think people are born good or bad, or that events in their lives lead them to that path?" I said.

"I think that there are events in one's life that lead him in certain directions." He said. "But eventually, the decision is on their shoulders." I nodded in understanding and looked out the window. "Any particular reason you think about it right now?"

"I just… I thought about the time Dean spent in Hell." I said. Not the truth, but not a lie, too. "I told you that at a certain point, he agreed to Alistair's deal – to get off the rack if he'd put others on it."

"Diana…" Rossi sighed. "That was an impossible choice. No matter what he have chosen, things would have ended badly."

"But he chose to torture others." I said. "And he… he enjoyed it."

"You can't judge a man by his actions in an impossible situation, Chessi." Rossi said.

I was quiet for a couple of moments before I spoke again. "Do you think the Reaper might be a Demon?" I asked.

"I highly doubt that." He said. "Demons don't seek attention like the Reaper does. They won't make the 911 calls like the Reaper did on his first cases, and they won't offer the police any deals. They'd just kill."

"It's hard to believe sometimes that people can do such horrid things." I said. "It's so much simpler in hunting. You find the monster, you kill it, end of story. You don't have to start thinking about why they'd done it. It's just what they are."

"A world of black and white." Rossi said.

"And we live in the grey."

* * *

We had just realized what the numbers meant. Each of them was a mark to one of the safe houses of George Foyet – the Reaper's only surviving victim. The Reaper was targeting him again, and we split in order to check each of them and make sure he was alright.

I was teamed with Morgan and one of the local detectives, and we arrived at the house where Foyet stayed when Hotch and Rossi questioned him earlier.

"I'll take the back." The detective said, and we nodded and walked through the front door.

We looked through the bottom floor, and decided I should head upstairs. I was halfway through when I heard the sound of shuttering glass.

"Morgan!" I called, running down and seeing him out in the front yard, unconscious, while who I assumed to be the Reaper leaned over him.

"Wake up, Derek." He said. "It's time to die."

"Not on my watch!" I called and shot a bullet right to his chest.

The Reaper turned to me. I thought I could just see a smile through the mask he was wearing.

"I'm not that easy to kill." He said. He walked towards me and shifted his head sideways, letting the light shine on him and reveal the last thing I expected to see. Fangs.

I ran to the kitchen, trying to avoid the ridiculous amount of blood that was spluttered on the floor, and took the largest knife I could find.

"Are you trying to hide?" The Reaper laughed. "You have no idea what you're dealing with."

"I think I do, Bloodsucker." I said and he paused.

"A hunter?" He asked, almost amused. "Lucky me. I think I'm going to keep you." He said, and before I could move he was right on me, getting the knife out of my hand. "Well, hello, beautiful."

I tried to back off but his grip on my hand was too strong, and I yelped in pain. "Leave me alone, you bastard."

"I don't think so." He said, smiling. "I'm going to enjoy slowly draining you out. Real fun. You know what?" He asked. "I think I'll start now."

With one swift motion, he took off the mask, and I was left looking into the eyes of no other than George Foyet himself.

I was so shocked that for a moment, I couldn't even move. I forgot where I was or the danger I was in. And in that moment, he attacked.

I felt a stinging pain when his fangs cut into my skin and a sickening feeling when he drank. I tried fighting away, but he was by far stronger. He backed off and hit my head with his gun's barrel, and darkness overcome me.

* * *

_Dean was torturing Alistair. He seemed really into it. He's probably been doing it for hours already._

_And it was killing me._

_"Just not getting deep enough." Alistair teased him. "Well, you lack the resources. Reality is just… I don't know. Too concrete up here. Oh, honestly, Dean," he added, seeing his words have the desired effect over my brother, "you have no idea how bad it really was and what you really did for us."_

_"Shut up." Dean said, pouring salt into something I didn't recognize._

_"The whole bloody thing, Dean." Alistair continued nonetheless. "The reason Lilith wanted you there in the first place."_

_"Okay," Dean said, "then I'll just make you shut up."_

_He stepped forward and poured the salt into Alistair's throat, causing him to scream, choke and cough blood._

_"Something caught in my throat." The Demon said. "I think it's my throat."_

_"Well, strap in." Dean said. "'Cause I'm just starting to have fun."_

_No. you can't be having fun, Dean, you can't. Because I need you. I need my brother._

_And I need him as human as he can get._

_"You know," Alistair said, ignoring Dean's words, "it was supposed to be your father."_

_My thoughts froze, just as Dean did._

_"He was supposed to bring it on. But in the end, it was you."_

_"Bring what on?" Dean asked._

_"Every night, the same offer, remember?"_

_Of course we remember. I know I will never forget, and surely Dean wouldn't, either._

_"Same as your father." Alistair said. "And finally you said, 'Sign me up.' Oh, the first time you picked up my razor, the first time you sliced into that weeping bitch that was the first seal."_

_Dean walked towards him, and looked at him for a moment before amusement crossed his face. Demons lie. "You're lying."_

_"'And it is written,'" Alistair quoted, "'that the first seal shall be broken when a righteous man sheds blood in hell. As he breaks, so shall it break.'"_

_Dean looked at him for a moment, deciding he was probably telling the truth before backing away to the torturing tools._

_"We had to break the first seal before any others." Alistair explained. "Only way to get the dominoes to fall right. Topple the one at the front of the line."_

_Dean continued preparing his tools, not looking at the Demon behind him. _

_"When we win," Alistair's voice passed the smile in it, "when we bring on the Apocalypse and burn this earth down, we'll owe it all to you. Dean Winchester."_

_Dean was quiet, letting the thoughts run through his brain as Alistair talked._

_"Believe me, son. I wouldn't lie about this. It's kind of a religious sort of thing with me."_

_"No." Dean said. "I don't think you are lying. But even if the demons do win you won't be there to see it."_

_He turned around, only to see Alistair out of his chains and by far closer than what I would have liked._

_"You should talk to your plumber about the pipes." He said, before punching Dean in the face and sending him to the ground. "You've got a lot to learn, boy," he said, sending one blow after another, "so I'll see you back in class, bright and early, Monday morning. Maybe even this time I can get a family reunion. A small birdie whispered to me that you have a sister out there."_

_"Stay away from my sister." Dean said, coughing through the blood in his mouth._

_"Why?" Alistair asked. "I'm certain that by pressing the right buttons, killing the right people, she'd give herself willingly. You Winchesters are so predictable."_

_I was scared, terrified of this Demon, so much that if I were able to, I'd scream at the knife that Castiel plunged at Alistair's shoulder._

_"Oh, almost." The Demon said, looking how close the hit was to being deadly. "Looks like god is on my side today."_

_He let go of Dean and we both fell to the ground, and my world became black as Dean lost consciousness._

* * *

I woke up at what seemed to be a basement. My hands and feet were tied, and my head was pounding from blood loss but the pain at the side of my neck no longer there. I tried to move but it sent pain to every inch of my body, so I stopped. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to listen to my surroundings.

I could hear Foyet talking to someone whose voice I didn't recognize, but they were too far away for me to understand what they were saying. I hoped for his sake he wouldn't say or do anything to upset Foyet. I hoped he wasn't going to become Foyet's next meal.

I was startled out of my thoughts by a familiar voice, standing too nearby than what I thought was safe.

"You are conscious." The voice stated.

I opened my eyes and looked at the figure who stood in front of me.

"What are _you_ doing here?" I growled.

"You were in danger." Castiel replied. "You called for me so I came."

"I've been praying for you all day long." I told him. "It's good to know what I need for you to listen is to be in life danger. I'll remember that."

"I'm sorry." He said, ashamed.

"For what?" I asked. "For ignoring my calls or for what you put Dean through?"

"Both."

"Well, sorry isn't enough." I said. "You know how hard it is for me to watch Dean torture others. You must know about my dreams – You know everything about me – and you _know_ I lived it all with him."

"I never meant to do anything that would hurt you." Castiel said. "All I want is for your best behalf. I was just following orders."

"Screw you and your orders." I said. "Torture is never the solution, Cas. Never. Torture is what _they_ do – the Demons, the _bad guys_. We're supposed to be better than that."

"I must follow my orders." Cas repeated and I sighed.

"Than I sure hope someone will order you to get the hell away from me." I said. "I can't even look at you right now."

He disappeared with a flutter of wings and I listened carefully to the conversation that took place above me.

New people have arrived. I could only hope they were my team, but the voices were too muffled for me to understand. There was a _thud_, like something has fallen to the floor, and finally someone spoke loud enough for me to understand.

"Where's Chessi?" Morgan yelled. "Where is she, you son of a bitch?"

"I'm here!" I screamed. "Please, help me!"

The door opened wide and the light blinded me, but I could still comprehend the voice I was hearing.

"Chessi." Rossi sighed. "I'm so glad you're okay."

He neared me and carried me out, my hands automatically wrapping around his neck.

"Vamp." I muttered. "Foyet's a vamp. Please tell me he didn't change me, please, Dave."

Rossi stopped and took a small knife out of his pocket. He held it in his palm until the skin was cut through, and then neared his hand to my nose.

"No fangs." He muttered. "You're good."

"Thank god." I cried.

He carried me away and put me in the back of one of the busses.

"Are you hurt?" He asked.

"No." I said. "But my head hurts."

"It's okay." He said softly, fatherly. "We'll take care of it."

* * *

Foyet escaped.

We arrived back to Virginia. It was already three or four in the morning when JJ received the call.

He was found in his cell, vomiting blood, killed the guards who took him to the prison hospital and ran away.

Hotch sent us to our homes, and I walked into my apartment silently, knowing that Daniel was staying at his.

I threw my bag on the couch, and walked to the bedroom, but paused as I saw someone sitting on my bed. I pulled out my gun, ready to shoot if needed, and slowly entered the room.

"Cas?" I asked with surprise when I comprehended the figure in front of me, putting the gun back in its case. "What are you doing here?"

"I never intended to hurt you." He said quietly. "I will never do anything to hurt you if I can help it."

All of the anger that built inside me during the past day dissolved at the amount of emotion in his voice. Emotion he was trying very hard to conceal. I sat by his side on my bed and put his hand in mine. He seemed to stiffen at the feeling, as always when I touched him, but relaxed rather quickly.

"Uriel was a traitor." He said.

"I'm sorry." I said honestly. "I know it must be hard."

"It is." He mumbled. "It feels like I am angry and sad at the same time."

"You feel betrayed." I explained. "You have every right to."

"Is that how you felt when I asked Dean to torture Alistair?" He asked. "Did you feel this... betrayal?"

"I did." I admitted.

"I am sorry for ever making you feel like this." He mumbled, ashamed.

"Forgive and forgotten." I replied.

We sat for a couple of moments in silence before he spoke again.

"You asked me what I think about Daniel." He said. "He is a good man."

"You've said that already." I reminded him. "Repeatedly."

"You… You seek for my approval at the relationship?" He asked.

"Yes." I said.

"Why?"

"Because I care about you." I said simply. "And your opinion matters to me."

"I cannot approve of that relationship, Diana." He whispered.

"Did he do something?" I asked, confused.

"No." Cas said. "He did nothing wrong. He really is a good man, and being with him would make you happy."

"So what's the problem?"

He sat silently for a moment.

"Angels are not meant to feel." He finally said. "We are warriors of the Lord, created to do out Father's bidding without hesitation. We are not meant to have feelings, but sometimes, when we are chosen to guard someone of great power, the feelings leak through. I am not _meant_ to feel, Diana, but I do. I care for you, too. I want you to be happy. But I am also selfish, as Angels should never be." He looked at his feet, ashamed. "I do not want you to be happy if it is not with me."

I sat there, trying to understand the meaning of his words when he did the last thing I ever expected him to do. Leaning in, still holding my hand, he kissed me.

I pulled back with surprised and looked at him. Shame filled his features as he opened his mouth to apologize. The words died in his throat when I kissed him back, desperate for the comfort I needed so badly and knew he offered. My hands wrapped around his body and he only hesitated for a second before returning it, deepening the kiss as he experienced the unfamiliar feeling of my skin against his while the world disappeared around us.

Some time later, Castiel and I were lying on my bed. I knew I should probably regret what had just happened, but instead, I let myself enjoy the surprising warmth of the angel next to me. His hand drifted over my bare body, lingering a bit longer as it reached my tattoo.

"That is a very unusual place for an anti-possession tattoo." He commented.

"You know, Cas," I smiled though I knew he couldn't see me, "if you want to touch my ass all you gotta do is ask."

His hand darted backwards, as if he got burned, and I grabbed it and returned it to where it was just seconds ago, and kept it there.

"I do not feel comfortable, Diana." He mumbled.

"You had no problem touching it earlier." I said, still smiling.

He took his hand off. "I should probably go." He said.

"Yes, I know," I sighed, "you got an apocalypse to prevent. Would you stay until I fell asleep?"

"Of course." He said softly. "Anything for you."

* * *

The next morning, I woke up at the loud sound of my door being thrown open. I darted to my feet, but relaxed when I saw Daniel standing in front of me.

"Why didn't you call me?" He asked.

"What?" I asked, too tired to think properly.

"Yesterday." Daniel replied. "A vampire Unsub kidnapped you and then escaped and you didn't call me when you got back here."

"It was late." I said. "You were asleep."

"I'd woken up for you." He said.

"I didn't want to wake you up." I said. "What's the big deal?"

"I was so scared when I heard about it!" He called. "Between your job, and the upcoming Apocalypse… either of us could die every day."

"I know." I whispered.

"I love you." Daniel said, and I looked up at him.

"I love you –"

"No." He cut me off. "I mean it. I know we've only been dating for a couple of months, but we've dated for a year before. I let you go once, and I will not make that mistake again. I love you." He repeated. "I didn't get just how much until now. And whether it's going to be a day, a month, a year or a decade, I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Diana Winchester," Daniel said, going down on his knee and holding my hand, "will you give me the honor of being my wife?"


	13. Stories

**"I'll be a story in your head. But that's okay.  
We're all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?  
Cause it was, you know. It was the best."  
Steven Moffat, ****_Doctor Who_**

Chuck Shurley was sitting next to his computer, struggling to get the words out. He wasn't writing for publisher anymore. He was writing simply to get the words out of his head. A terrible burden for a Prophet.

Currently, he was writing about Dean and Sam finding Jimmy Novak in the place of Castiel. It was awful to know the events really happened, happening, or will happen soon.

He was disturbed by a knock on his door.

Torn from his writing, he tried not to think about the last time he answered to the knock on his door (It involved two not-so-friendly brothers who wanted to know why he's writing books about their lives), but took comfort in the fact that he saw a lovely girl standing there.

"Hello," she said, "I'm from the newspaper 'Fanfic Today' and I would like to ask you a couple of questions about the 'Supernatural' book series. Do you mind me coming in?"

Without waiting for his permission, she walked inside and took in her surroundings.

"I don't really think an interview would be a wise -" He started, already regretting letting her in.

"Oh, nonsense." She cut him off with a fake laugh. "It will be wonderful! So... first question," She smiled a visibly fake smile. "How did you get the idea for the series?"

"Um..." Chuck looked unsettled. "It just sort of... popped in my mind, I guess."

_One hell of an understatement. _She thought, but carried on anyway.

"How was the writing process for you?" She questioned. "Was it difficult? Was it interesting?"

"I guess you could say I learned a lot about myself." He said. _Like being a Prophet._ "But all in all, it was pretty hard."

"Interesting." She said. "Now, I must admit to being a huge fan of the series so I was wondering, will the Winchester sister join the gang?"

"I have never mentioned a Winchester sister." Chuck said. He was starting to get suspicious of her, but she didn't care.

"Come on." She said. "When Henriksen speaks to the boys in 'Nightshifter', he questions them about 'other Winchesters out there'. Do you really expect us to believe that means nothing? And how about 'All Hell Breaks Loose', when Azazel mentions his plans involving a girl the brothers hadn't seen in a long time?"

"What newspaper did you say you were from?" He asked.

"I mean, it's obvious that they have a sister." She ignored him. "The only question is will she be reunited with them anytime soon? Maybe now that the Apocalypse is coming?"

"I never published that."

"Because you can't hold it back forever, can you?" She asked. "Diana will meet them soon, now that the Angels also have plans for her, won't she?"

"I never said that..." She raised a brow at him, causing him to rephrase. "I never said her name is Diana."

"But it is, isn't it? Because when Dean was in Hell, he didn't only scream for Sam. He screamed for her, as well."

Chuck stood up and stepped away from her. "How do you know that?" He asked, scared. "Who are you?"

"Oh, haven't I mentioned it? How rude of myself." She smiled, reaching out a hand for him to shake. "I believe you've met my brothers. Name's Diana Winchester, pleasure to meet you." She winked at him. "But you can call me Chessi."

* * *

Chuck was standing in the kitchen of his house, opening and closing drawers in a frantic search for a drink. Occasionally, he'd send a worried glance my way, but it seemed like he was taking the situation better than he did when my brothers were here.

I guess by now, he already seemed to understand what was going on.

I remember the shock I was in a couple of weeks ago, when Dean and Sam found out about the Supernatural book series. Of course, I'd known about the books – that was how Spencer found out the truth about me. No, I was shocked because they did something I never even _considered_ doing.

They found the author.

* * *

_"This is freaking insane." Dean said as he looked into a book. "How's this guy know all this stuff?"_

_"You got me." Sam said, reading further into it in the computer._

_"Everything is in here." Dean continued. "I mean everything. From the racist truck to me having sex. I'm full-frontal in here, dude. How come we haven't heard of them before?"_

_"They're pretty obscure." Sam said. "I mean almost zero circulation. Started in '05. The publisher put out a couple dozen before going bankrupt. And the last one – 'No Rest for the Wicked', ends with you going to Hell."_

_"I reiterate," Dean said, "freaking insane."_

_"Check it out." Sam said, turning the computer towards him. "There's actually fans. Not many, but still."_

_"Did you read this?" Dean asked._

_"Yeah." Sam said._

_"Although for fans, they sure do complain a lot." Dean said. "Listen to this - Simpatico says 'the demon story line is trite, clichéd, and overall craptastic.' Yeah, well, screw you, Simpatico. We lived it."_

_"Yeah." Sam agreed. "Well, keep on reading, it gets better."_

_"There are 'Sam girls'," Dean read out, "and 'Dean girls' and... What's a 'slash fan'?"_

_"As in Sam-Slash-Dean." Sam explained. "Together."_

_"Like," Dean felt uncomfortable, "together, together?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"They _do_ know we're brothers, right?" He asked._

_"Doesn't seem to matter." Sam replied._

_"Oh, come on!" Dean called. "That's just sick."_

_"There's more." Sam said. "It's not just about us. I mean, it is, but it also has Diana in it."_

_What? I thought to myself. What did he just say and why didn't Spence tell me about it?_

_"It's not much," Sam continued, "only small parts where her story crashes with ours. She appeared in 'Devil's Trap' when Yellow-Eyes had dad, once again when we were at the hospital and dad called her. When we were at Bobby's the next day, apparently she hid under the sink."_

_"That's crazy." Dean mumbled again._

_"It's got the part where I called her not long after Dad died -"_

_"You never told me you called her." Dean said accusingly._

_"You never told me Henriksen mentioned her when we were at the bank." Sam countered. "Edlund wrote a couple of scenes when we ignored her calls before you went to Hell, and it also says that the night you went down, she spoke to one of those who work with her and said, quote, 'It doesn't seem fair. Why am I the only one who has to pick entirely between both her families?'"_

_There was silence for a moment or two before Dean spoke._

_"We got to find this Carver Edlund." He said._

_"That will not be so easy." Sam replied._

_"Why not?"_

_"No tax records, no known address, it's like Carver Edlund doesn't exist." Sam replied._

_Dean sighed. "Well, somebody's gotta know who he is."_

* * *

Chuck finally poured himself a glassful of whiskey and sat in the chair in front of me. He looked at me again, downed the glass at once, paused for a moment and then went back to the kitchen for more.

"I'm not going to disappear, you know." I told him.

"I know, I know." He replied. "I'm just… hoping."

I followed him to the kitchen and leaned against the counter. "You write books about my brothers." I said casually.

"Yeah, yeah." He said. "I've been through this already."

"I'm not in them." I added.

"No." He verified. "Mostly, no. You… didn't seem like a very... important character."

"You know how to make a girl feel good." I mumbled. "Azazel was after me." I reminded him. "Lilith _is_ after me. Alistair threatened my friends and family already, and I won't be surprised if Satan has a bunch of new ideas about me if he gets out of his box. I'm fair game." I said. "What I would like to know is just how much _you_ know."

"How's the wedding plans going?" Chuck asked.

"Wonderful." I replied toxically, for a reason I couldn't quite understand. "We're gonna have a summer wedding in July."

"And your relationship with Cas?" He questioned.

I laughed humorlessly. "You could've just said a lot." I muttered. "It's just sex. We'll stop once I'm married."

"You forget I know how you're feeling." Chuck said. "It's not just sex. For either of you. I'm guessing that's why you're here. He disappeared."

"He ran off while talking to me, saying that they were onto him, and that I needed to be careful." I admitted. "And then Heaven took him away."

"So you came to a house guarded by an Archangel." Chuck mused. "Not your finest idea."

"Oh, shut up." I told him. "I needed someone to talk to. Someone who knows everything."

"I don't know everything." He said. "I don't know how the story ends."

"But I don't need to explain everything to you so that will have to do for now." I said. Exhaustion flowed over me and I yawned as I saw how late it was. "I should better go to a motel. I'll be back tomorrow."

"You can stay here." He said. "I don't think a motel will do you well in the current situation."

I wanted to raise a brow at that last comment, but stopped myself and nodded instead. He may not want to tell me everything he knows, but maybe I could trick him into it if he thought I knew what he was talking about.

Slowly, I took my bag and followed him to the spare bedroom.

* * *

_Dean and Sam were led inside the empty warehouse by three demons who brought them to stand in front of Jimmy, Castiel's empty vessel, and his wife, who was possessed by a demon._

_"Nice plan, Dean." Sam said sarcastically._

_"Got the knife?" The demon asked, and one of the goons handed her Ruby's demon blade. "You know what's funny?" She asked._

_"You wearing a soccer mom?" Dean asked._

_"I was actually bummed to get this detail." The demon said, ignoring my brother's comment. "Picking up an empty vessel? Sort of like a milk run." She looked between the two of them. "Now look who landed in my lap."_

_"Yeah, well you got us, okay?" Sam asked. "Let these people go."_

_"Oh, Sam." The demon sighed. "It's easy to act chivalrous when your wonder girl powers aren't working, huh?" What? What powers? "Now for the punch line. Everybody dies."_

_She took out her gun and pointed it at Dean, and then at Sam, before turning around and shooting at Jimmy. Even though I knew he was only a vessel, and not the Angel I learned to know and love, it still hurt to see him like that._

_She ordered one of her demons to kill Jimmy's daughter, Claire, and the demon neared the child with a crowbar. Just as it was about to hit her, a hand lifted and blocked it with the strength a ten year-old girl shouldn't have. Claire raised her hand to the demon's forehead, and killed him as I've only seen angels ever do._

_Dean and Sam immediately started fighting the demons that had their grip on them, but I was trying to pay more attention to Jimmy than to the battle._

_"Castiel." He said with awe._

_The Angel ignored him for the moment, going to help Dean before the duo turned to look at Sam who was… Was he drinking a demon's blood?_

_Blood dripped on his chin as he straightened up, and my heart skipped a beat when he exorcised the demon in Jimmy's wife, using his mind only._

_I guess she was referring to _those_ powers, then._

_Castiel, in the form of Claire, neared Jimmy and leaned next to him. "Of course we keep our promises." He told him, probably talking about a conversation they had had earlier. "Of course you have our gratitude." He looked at the mortal wound in Jimmy's stomach. "You served us well. Your work is done. It's time to go home now your real home. You'll rest forever in the fields of the lord. Rest now, Jimmy."_

_Jimmy looked at his daughter, struggling to get the words out and Castiel sighed. _

_"She's with me now." He said. "She's chosen. It's in her blood, as it was in yours."_

_"Please, Castiel." Jimmy somehow choked out. "I mean, just…" His voice was thick with tears and pain. "Just take me. Take me, please."_

_"I want to make sure you understand." Castiel said. "You won't die or age. If this last year was painful for you, picture a hundred a thousand more like it."_

_"Doesn't matter." Jimmy told him. "You take me. Just take me."_

_"As you wish." Castiel said, and the warehouse filled with the light of the angelic grace as he transferred into Jimmy's body._

_Claire fell on the floor and her mother rushed to her, but Castiel walked towards the exit, not sparing a glance at them._

_"Cas, hold up." Dean called. I knew he was itching to know what Cas wanted to tell him right before he disappeared. "What were you gonna tell me?"_

_"I learned my lesson while I was away, Dean." Castiel said coldly. "I serve heaven. I don't serve man." A cold look crossed his face. "And I certainly don't serve you Winchesters."_

_I certainly don't serve you Winchesters._

_I certainly don't serve you _Winchesters_._

_I certainly don't serve _you Winchesters_._

I certainly don't serve you Winchesters.

When I woke up, I was disoriented for a moment.

The room I was at didn't look like the bedroom at the flat I shared with Daniel, or like any motel or hotel I've ever stayed at. I stressed for a moment, before I remembered the events of the previous couple of days – finding out Castiel was missing, coming here to see Chuck and his offer that I'd stay to sleep at one of his spare rooms.

And now this dream. A vessel.

The mere thought made me sick, and I barely made it to the bathroom before all I've eaten yesterday found itself at the toilet.

I never even thought about it. I knew, of course, but to witness it the way I just did… Jimmy Novak was a person. He had a family, a wife and daughter. He asked for none of it. But, then again, which of us did?

I thought about the sacrifice he had made for his daughter. Living the life of a vessel, knowing what happens around you but not being able to do anything about it. I knew it must be terrible, but yet he chose this life to spare his daughter from the same fate.

I was glad he did, though. It would've been weird if Cas was a ten year old girl.

Thinking about it made me think about the nature of my relationship with Castiel, and I leaned over the toilet to puke again.

How much did Jimmy Novak see? How much did he know? How much did he… feel?

I definitely needed a drink.

I washed my face slowly and cleaned my mouth from the sour aftertaste it had before making my way downstairs. Despite the early hour, Chuck was already up and writing and I wondered how often he had a whole night's sleep.

"Good morning." He said, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"Good morning." I mumbled in response.

"Slept well?" He asked.

"Don't you know already?" I asked bitterly and he looked at me, surprised.

"I don't see everything that happens to you." He said. "Only the parts that are supposedly to be important to the story."

"You don't know about the dreams?" I asked, confused.

"What dreams?" He asked.

"The ones in which I am living what Dean is living."

Chuck looked genuinely surprised. "No."

"Well, I have them." I said. "It's nice sometimes. Helps me keep track of my brothers. Other times…" I trailed off, but Chuck seemed to know what I was thinking about.

"Hell." He said. "You were experiencing Hell." Realization crossed his face. "That's why you tried to kill yourself."

"So you know." I said, and couldn't help but notice how the bitterness was now back in my voice.

"I didn't write about it." He said. "I didn't tell anybody."

"You're good at that, aren't you?" I asked. "Not telling us stuff."

"It's not good to know so much about your future." He justifies himself.

"What about Castiel's vessel?" I asked. "Was it that bad for me to know about him, too?"

"You knew he was in a vessel all along." Chuck said.

"But that's not something you think about!" I said. "It's more like… something at the back of your mind. I didn't think there was a poor human being inside Cas when I... When we…" I sighed. "I can't even think about it now."

I turned around and grabbed my coat.

"Where are you going?" Chuck asked.

"Taking a walk." I said. "I'll be back in a couple of hours."

"Be careful!" He called after me. "Don't do anything stupid."

"Yeah, whatever." I mumbled and left the house.

Looking at Darlin' which parked just outside the house, I sighed before turning the other way. _That's what people do, right?_ I thought to myself. _Take a walk to clear their mind._

I walked around the small town and tried to focus on everything other than what my mind wanted so desperately to focus on. At a certain point, I found myself in a small park, sitting at one of the benches and watching some kids play.

With a moment's decision, I called for Castiel, ignoring my senses when they told me that probably counted as doing something stupid. He appeared almost instantly.

"You prayed for me?" He asked, his voice cooler than I ever heard it.

"Care for a talk?" I asked.

Cas looked surprised, but sat next to me nonetheless, looking at the young children.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?" I asked. "So naïve and pure. The world hadn't ruined them yet. But it will. I never had that. I had never been naïve. Never had a childhood. I'm assuming you didn't, either." Castiel said nothing so I went on. "I resented my father for it. Hated him, actually. You don't look like the type to do that."

"What do you want, Diana?" Cas asked.

"'_I certainly don't serve you Winchesters._'" I quoted. "You didn't mean Sam and Dean, did you? You meant Dean and me."

"Yes." Cas said after a long silence.

"Thought that much." I mumbled. "What happened when you were away?"

"The other angels helped me see where I was mistaken."

"Brainwashed you." I said. It was not a question, but not a statement, either. "Did they erase it all? Made you their own perfect little angel?"

"I was born to serve." Cas said.

"I know." I said. "But have you noticed that's what you say every time you do something terrible? Following orders. What kind of orders are those, Cas?"

"I do not have to listen to this." He said.

"And yet, here you are." I said. "You can go at any moment. But you stay. Why is that?" I looked at him for a moment. "You know what I think? I think that when the reprogrammed you to be their perfect puppet, they didn't take one thing into the equation."

"And what would that be?"

"Feelings." I said. "They didn't think you had feelings so strong."

"I do not have feelings!" He called, outraged.

"That's not what you used to say to me." I said. "You used to say 'I love you', 'I've missed you'. You used to worry about me."

"I still do." He said. "As your Guardian Angel. Nothing more."

"Why don't I believe that?" I asked sadly.

"You should." He said, looking at me straight in the eye.

I took the last straw I was gripping at. "Are you regretting those nights?" I asked him, and he looked away. "Cas, are you regretting it?"

"I do not know." He admitted quietly. "I should be regretting it."

"But are you?" I repeated. "Because I don't."

"You..." He looked up at me again. "You don't?"

"Should I?" I questioned.

He was silent, looking at me, then at the trees and back to the children.

I felt a sting of pain in my heart as I asked him the next question.

"Can I speak with him?"

"With Jimmy?" Castiel asked. I nodded silently. "I am not certain this is a good idea."

"Please, Cas." I begged. "You know I barely ask for anything. Can I please talk to him?"

Castiel didn't respond. He leaned back on the bench and closed his eyes. I sighed in disappointment just as he jumped upright.

"Where am I?" He asked in a tone slightly different from Castiel's usual voice.

"Jimmy?" I asked, surprised.

"I… Diana?" He asked.

"You're Jimmy." I said. "You really are Jimmy."

"I guess it might be a bit hard to tell me and your lover apart, seeing as he _wears_ me." He said poisonously.

"So you know." I mumbled, truly ashamed.

"Yes. I know." He said, before adding in a slightly softer tone, "I'm sorry. It's just… it's been a rough couple of days."

"Tell me about it." I murmured. "I… I'm sorry. That wasn't my place."

"It's fine, I guess." Jimmy said. "It must've been hard to realize the person you've been fucking for the past four months actually has a human in him, who sees, hears and feels everything he does."

The words cut like knives through my heart. "Everything?" I asked.

"Not everything." He admitted. "But enough."

"I'm sorry." I told him. "God, you don't know how sorry I am."

"Is that why you asked to see me?" He asked. "You wanted to say you're sorry? Hoping to ease your conscience? Yeah, you're not gonna get it from me."

"I'm still sorry." I said.

"I still don't care." He replied. "Just let me get back _there_. At least when Cas is in control, I don't need to live it all the time."

I nodded and stood up, walking away from Jimmy, who was no doubt Castiel again. I walked into Chuck's home and headed straight to the kitchen, pouring myself some whiskey.

"You shouldn't do that." Chuck's voice came from behind me, worried.

"I know." I said. "Addiction and all. Couldn't care less."

"That's not what I was –" He started, but paused mid-sentence. "Oh."

I paused, the glass of liquor at my lips but I wasn't drinking just yet.

"What is it?" I asked.

"It's…" Chuck started. "I… Nothing."

"It's clearly not nothing." I said. "What do you know?"

"I'm not supposed to tell." He whispered. "Knowing too much and all of that."

"If it's something important, you should tell me." I said.

"I…" He sighed. "I can't. But you really don't want to drink that." He added, gesturing at the glass in my hand.

I put it down at the table and looked at him. "Chuck," I said calmly, "I have a gun. Now, I'd really rather not have to use it on you. What aren't you telling me?"

"You were nauseated this morning." He said.

"Yeah," I said, "I kinda noticed that."

"You looked at the children in the park and got nostalgic." He added. "You… you probably didn't notice it yet, but your period is late in about two weeks now. I don't think it will arrive any time soon." He finished lamely.

"Great." I sighed, falling into one of the chairs. "Just what I needed right now. The Apocalypse is coming, I'm trying to plan a wedding, my sort-of-boyfriend-slash-lover won't talk to me and on top of it all, I'm pregnant. Can this day get any worse?"

"Well," Chuck said, "Sam is having a terrible rehab."

If looks could kill, Chuck would have been long dead on his kitchen floor.

* * *

**A/N:**** And season 4 is slowly coming to an end.**

**I'm planning to have two, maybe three more chapters to this season and first episode of season five, and then moving on to the whole of season five.**

**If you have any special episodes in season 5 you want (both series), tell me and I'll see if I can put Chessi in. So far, I plan to have the parts with Foyet at S4 finale and S5EP1, and "100", in addition to "The End", "Changing Channels", possibly something about "The Curious Case of Dean Winchester", "The Song Remains the Same" and some more, besides (of course) "Swan Song".**

**So review and tell me wat you think!**


	14. The Edge

**A/N:**** So I've been swamped with my studies lately as I've got a _huge_ test next week and I barely had any time to write... I finished this chapter Tuesday night but it also had to be beta'd and then I didn't have time again...**

**Long story short - Here you go.**

**Rather short chapter but I had to end it where it ended.**

**Witch By Midnight: To make things clear - Jimmy Novak is Castiel's vessel (see se4ep20 for more details about that). Daniel is Johnny, the guy that run the car garage at the beggining of the first chapter. He dealt with illegal stuff and later joined the witness protection program, ending up in Virginia. He dated Chessi for about a year when she was at Harvard, but broke it off with her when she told him about the supernatural world, saying she's crazy if she really believed that. He's now engaged to her.**

**As to who's baby is this... you'll just have to wait and see ~smiles devilishly~**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Criminal Minds.**

* * *

**"But tonight I need you to save me,  
I'm too close to breaking, I see the light.  
I am standing on the edge of my life."  
Tonight Alive, ****_The Edge_**

"How are you?" Daniel asked me.

I sighed into the phone speaker. "Had my better days." I muttered.

"I know, hon." He replied. "Are you sure it's a smart idea to stay there?"

"I won't get any work done anyway." I told him. "At least here I've got Chuck who gets what I'm going through. At least sort of gets."

"Do you want me to come be with you?"

"No!" I said, just the slightest bit too fast. "No. It'll only be a couple of days." I said, calmly this time. "Only until the storm passes."

"And if it doesn't?" Daniel questioned.

"Give me a week." I said. "Seven days. If things don't get better in seven days, I will come back home."

"Promise?" He asked.

"Promise." I said. "I gotta go now, I'll talk to you later."

"Love you."

I smiled even though he couldn't see. "Love you, too."

I hung up the phone and looked up, seeing Chuck standing in front of me and looking at me.

"Do you plan to keep that promise?" He asked.

"None of your business." I said.

"Will you tell him about the baby?"

"Probably." I said, not committing.

"Will you tell him soon?" He pushed.

"Probably." I said. "Possibly." Chuck raised his brow. "What do you care?" I asked.

"I don't." He replied, walking back to his computer. "But you should."

I sighed. The decision to stay at Chuck's house seemed like a good idea at first, and I knew it probably was, but he was so unbearable, I just wanted to take all of my things and go away.

Screw him for knowing me.

"I'm going." I called.

"Where to?" He asked.

"Don't you know?" I questioned.

There was silence for a moment. "The meeting is only two blocks away," he said, "you can go by foot."

"Thought you did." I muttered, before walking outside.

I arrived at the meeting and listened to the people talking. It calmed me down, but I was still stressed so I took my turn and got on the stand.

"Hello, my name is Diana and I'm an addict."

"Hello, Diana." The room replied and I remembered why I needed this meeting.

"I'm not from here," I said, "I'm visiting a… friend, but I felt like I needed a meeting. I had a really rouge week. My brother… my kid brother that I didn't talk to for over a decade was using. He was into some _bad_ crap and he's detoxing now. And I can't be there for him.

"Two nights ago, I almost relapsed." I admitted. "The drink was in my hand, it almost touched my lips. But then, something became made it clear to me, I can't afford myself to slip, but it also made me want a drink even more.

"I have… I _had_," I corrected myself darkly, "a lover. For the past couple of months, I cheated on my fiancé. And now," it was getting harder to get the words out, "I'm pregnant. And I don't know who the father is."

Tears started streaming down my face as the feelings I've pushed back during the past couple of days rose to the surface. "It's been a really shitty couple of days." I finished. "And I just really needed a meeting.

"Thank you for sharing." One of the consultants said, and the room echoed.

I walked back to my seat and sat down, burying my face in my hands. Talking about it helped, as always, but it also made me realize just how much trouble I was in. And that was _without_ mentioning the possible upcoming Apocalypse.

I only paid half attention for the rest of the meeting. When it was over, all I wanted was to run outside, but the consultant who was the first to speak when I finished talking stopped me.

"Can I have a moment, please?" He asked. "It won't be long." He added when he saw my hesitation.

"Fine." I said reluctantly, stepping aside with him.

"My name is George." He said. "I wanted to thank you again for sharing and ask you something about your brother."

"My brother?" I repeated.

"You said he's detoxing."" George said. "He's not in a rehab facility, is he?"

"He…" I hesitated for a moment. "No."

"It's very dangerous." George said.

"My detoxing was the same." I said. "Our uncle just locked me in a room until I was clean. Going to a facility can cause us trouble," I explained, "considering our… jobs."

"I understand it worked," George said, "but if he was using something as serious as you made it sound, you need to listen to what I've got to say."

I called Bobby the moment I was out of the meeting.

"How are you all doing?" I asked.

"Terrible." He replied.

"That bad, huh?"

"I'm dying here, Peanut." Bobby said. "It's even worse than your detoxing."

"It is?" I asked, curious. "How come? Oh, give me a break," I added when he seemed too shocked to reply, "it's not like I remember much from my rehab. I was in a pretty bad state."

"He screams out." Bobby explained. "Not like you did. Not cursing us. He screams in pain. Do you know what it's like, hearing somebody you care about scream out in pain, and knowing it must be done?"

"Damn." I mumbled. "It's just like he said."

"Just like who said?"

"I was at a meeting today." I replied. "Spoke to one of the consultants. By what it seems, detoxing on that crap, that's ten times worse than drugs."

"I figured this much out." Bobby mumbled and I sighed.

"No, you don't." I said. "On hard cases of drug rehab, when the addicts were in too deep with too strong crap, it can kill them. Now, demon blood is the strongest crap there is. And Sam is in way too deep."

"So what are you saying?" Bobby asked.

"I'm saying it may not all be in his head, Bobby." I said. "He may be really dying."

* * *

"Cas!" I was screaming my lungs out in Chuck's back yard, hoping the angel would answer me. "Cas! _Cas!_"

"I am here."

I turned around, taking in his figure. It was odd, as the last time I saw him I was speaking to Jimmy, but at the same time it was also relaxing.

Sam may be using demon blood, Dean might've agreed to help the angels and I can be pregnant and nervous, but Castiel would always be the same. _Holy tax accountant_, as Dean called him the first time they met, and he couldn't have been more right.

"You prayed." He said.

"You helped." I whispered.

"I do not understand." He said.

"Dean." I explained. "You told Dean he needs to be as obedient to you as he was to our father. But Dean wasn't always that obedient. He had his doubts, just like Sam and me. And every now and then, when it came to doing what is right and going against the orders John gave him, he picked what is right. So thank you."

"I was told to free Sam." He whispered. "I was given a direct order to."

"And those orders will always ruin us and what we have." I sighed darkly. "But for now, we have it."

I walked at him and hugged him, letting his hands wrap around me and envelope me, shielding me from everything that happens and letting me not think about all the troubles, even just for a moment.

But the moment passed. My thoughts were swirling again. And the one thing I've forgotten in my haste was that when he's close, Castiel can hear my thoughts.

He pushed me away and looked at me, confused and afraid.

"What is it?" I asked.

"You are pregnant." He said.

It wasn't a question, and I felt my heart drop in fear.

"Daniel's." I replied dryly.

"Diana." He said. "The baby is-"

"It's Daniel's baby." I cut him off, not for a moment believing what I am saying. "I know what you think, but it's Daniel's."

"The dates match." He said.

"Daniel's." I insisted.

_It is Daniel's child. _I told myself, not for the first time during the last couple of days. _It must be, because I know what being a Nephilim is. And I couldn't bare it to give birth to a child who will be hunted from the day they are born._

"But -"

"Castiel." I said harshly. "It's Daniel's baby, because it must be. We can never be together, we can never have a life or kids. And as much as I love you, I can never give up on that."

The look on Castiel's face hardened. "So you are choosing him?" He asked.

"It's not like that, Cas. The choice is not him or you, it's much deeper than that. The supernatural world in opposed to having a normal life, I just..." I sighed. "I made the choice years ago when I left John, Sam and Dean for Harvard."

"No." He said. "Your choice is very clear, Diana, don't try to cover it. I understand. I... I should have known better than to think what we had was real."

"Cas..."

"Goodbye, Diana Winchester." There was the slightest flutter of wings and he was gone.

"Cas!" I called. "Cas! Castiel, please, answer me! Cas!" I sighed. "I'm sorry, Cas, I truly am. I just... I'm sorry."

* * *

_Just like Castiel said, he let Sam go. Sam ran off and Dean followed him, confronted him and they fought. And so I found myself in my dream sitting in Bobby's living room, as the called for Dean but the younger hunter ignored him._

_"Dean?" He asked. "Dean. You listen to a word I said?"_

_"Yeah, I heard you." Dean said. "I'm not calling him."_

_"Don't make me get my gun, boy."_

_Bobby always did have his own way of getting us to cooperate, I thought to myself._

_"We are damn near kick-off for Armageddon." Dean said. "Don't you think we got bigger fish at the moment?"_

_"I know you're pissed." Bobby said. "And I'm not making apologies for what he's done, but he's your –"_

_"Blood?" Dean asked. "He's my _blood_, is that what you're gonna say?"_

_"He's your brother," Bobby said, "and he's drowning."_

_"Bobby, I tried to help him." Dean said. "I did. Look what happened."_

_"So try again." Bobby replied._

_"It's too late." Dean shook his head._

_"There's no such thing." Bobby told him._

_"No!" Dean called out in frustration. "Damn it! No. We've got to face the facts Sam never wanted, part of this family."_

_I knew it was just the stress talking, and all I wanted to do was hold Dean until he relaxed, but I couldn't. I wasn't really there. I was crashing on the sofa at Chuck's house, miles away._

_"He hated this life, growing up." Dean said. "Ran away to, Stanford first chance he got. And now it's like deja-vu, all over again. Well, I am sick and tired of chasing him. Screw him." He said poisonously. "He can do what he wants."_

_"You don't mean that." Bobby said._

_"Yes I do, Bobby." Dean said. "Sam's gone. He's gone. I'm not even sure if he's still my brother anymore. If he ever was."_

_There was silence for a couple of moments as Dean buried his head in his hands and Bobby leaned on the table before the older hunter threw all of his things on the floor._

_"You stupid, _stupid_ son of a bitch!" He called out, finally losing it. "Well, boohoo! I am so sorry your feelings are hurt, _princess_! Are you under the impression that family's supposed to make you feel good? Bake you an apple pie, maybe? They're _supposed_ to make you miserable! That's why they're _family_!"_

_"I told him, 'you walk out that door, don't come back'." Dean said, hurt finally showing up on the surface. "And he walked out anyway. That was his choice!"_

_"You sound like a whiny brat." Bobby said. "No." He shook his head in disbelief. "You sound like your dad. Well, let me tell you something. Your dad was a coward."_

_"My dad was a lot of things, Bobby, but a coward?" Dean asked._

_"He'd rather push Sam away than reach out for him, just like he did with Diana!" Bobby said. "Just like _you_ did with Diana, before you went to Hell."_

_"You told me a couple of months ago not to come after her." Dean accused._

_"Well, that was before I knew Heaven had plans for her!" Bobby called._

_Dean paled. "They what?"_

_"An ex-hunter who works with her told me." Bobby said. "Apparently, Cas has been involved in her life as well."_

_"What do they want with her?" Dean asked, worried._

_"I don't know." Bobby sighed. "But it ain't good. She's gonna need you. _And_ Sam." Dean hesitated so Bobby continued. "You are a better man than your daddy ever was." He told my brother. "So you do both of us a favor. Don't be him."_

_Dean shook his head again, and turned to look out that window. He turned back, ready to say something to Bobby, but instead found himself in a big, empty room. He looked around, amazed, but jumped in surprise as a voice spoke from behind him._

_"Hello, Dean." Castiel said. "It's almost time."_

* * *

I woke up with a start and a scream at the sofa in Chuck's living room, causing the prophet to look away from the screen where he was writing and at me.

"Where are you on the plot?" He asked.

"Angels are sons of bitches who never wanted to stop the Apocalypse." I said bitterly.

"And Cas?" He questioned.

"Uncooperative as ever." I mumbled. "Please tell me he changes his mind."

"I can't tell you anything." He said.

"I'm not gonna do anything about it." I said. "I won't even try and leave the house. Just tell me Cas is thinking clearly at the end."

"He is." Chuck said after a short hesitation. "Now why won't you go take a shower?"

"Okay." I sighed getting up and walking upstairs. "Oh, and Chuck?"

"Hmm?"

"You do know that if you write about me I'll kill you, right?"

Chuck paled slightly, but somehow still managed to maintain his straight face. "Sure." I heard him say, followed by the unmistakable sound of the 'backspace' key.

I took a quick shower and got back downstairs, just in time to hear the end of a conversation.

"St. Mary's?" The familiar voice of my brother asked. "What is it, a convent?"

"Yeah, but you guys aren't supposed to be there." Chuck said. "You're not in this story."

"Yeah, well, we're making it up as we go." Castiel said just as the house started shaking.

"Aw, man!" Chuck called out. "Not again!"

"It's the Archangel!" I heard Castiel call. "I'll hold him off! I'll hold them all off! Just stop, Sam!"

I ran into the room the moment Cas put his hand on Dean's forehead, sending him away.

"Cas!" I called. "What are you doing?"

"What I should've done long ago!" He called back. "Stop following orders!"

"They'll kill you!" I screamed.

He looked at me for half a second, his eyes darting to my stomach as he said, "If there's anything worth dying for, this is it." He looked up at the ceiling and raised his blade, ready to fight.

And he exploded to pieces.

* * *

**Sorry. Sorry. I didn't do it, it was in the show. So, okay, maybe having her there when it happened was planned since it all started but sorry.**

**Reviews are good for your Karma, by the way ;)**


	15. Apocalypse

**A/N:**** Another short chapter... But hey, at least it's on time!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Criminal Minds.**

* * *

**So we cross that line,  
Into the crypt, total eclipse  
Suffer unto my apocalypse  
Metallica, ****_My Apocalypse_**

For a moment, it seemed as if time stood still. Castiel's vessel was exploding in slow motion and I felt the splatter on my face. The shakes that indicated the presence of an archangel were gone, and I was left standing there, gaping at the spot where the possible father of my child stood just seconds ago, before he dissolved in the sub-atomic level.

Then, the screaming started. At first, I tried to search for its origin, before I realized it was coming from my mouth. I screamed and screamed, afraid to continue but at the same time unable to stop. My voice became hoarse and disappeared into nothingness but I just kept screaming, choking on it.

It felt like hours had passed before I was able to conjure words again.

"No!" I screamed out. "No! Cas! _No!_"

I stumbled forward, only resulting in falling on the floor of Chuck's kitchen. My hands touched something that felt like it didn't belong to the floor, and it took me a moment to realize it was probably what is left of Castiel.

The realization broke me down completely.

A strangled cry left my throat – less of a scream and more a yelp of grief as it hit me with all its power – before it turned into the sort of weeping that consumed your entire being. When all that was left, was sadness.

I felt a warm hand on my back, and heard Chuck's soothing voice, before unconsciousness enveloped me.

* * *

_I was Dean, banging on a door in an abandoned house, calling for Sam. I was Dean, breaking the door open and killing Ruby. I was Dean, watching with Sam as the door to Satan's cage opened. My brothers tried to run outside of the room, but the door closed – they were stuck inside, with Lucifer on his way._

_No! I screamed inside my head, and suddenly I found Sam and myself on an airplane._

_"What the hell?" Dean asked._

_"I don't know." Sam replied._

_"Folks, quick word from the flight deck." I heard the pilot saying through the PA system. "We're just passing over Ilchester, then Ellicott City, on our initial descent into Baltimore Ilchester."_

_"Weren't we just there?" Dean mumbled in confusion._

_"So if you'd like to stretch your legs, now would be a good time to - Holy crap!"_

_ The pilot called out in panic as white light came from all of the windows and the plane seemed to be crashing. People screamed and kids cried as Dean looked out of the window and through the light, holding on to Sam for dear life._

* * *

_Dean and Sam walked in the ruins of Chuck's kitchen, looking around in fear and confusion. They slowly moved to the living room, where Chuck arrived, launching a lamb on Sam's head._

_"Geez!" Sam called out, backing away. "Ow!"_

_"Sam." Chuck said, surprised._

_"Yeah!" Sam replied._

_"Hey, Chuck." Dean casually said._

_"So… you're okay?" Chuck asked._

_"Well, my head hurts." Sam ranted._

_"No, I mean…" Chuck looked confused. "I mean, my… my last vision. You went, like, full on Vader. Your body temperature was 150 degrees, your heart rate was 200 beats per minute. Your eyes were black."_

_"Your eyes went black?" Dean questioned._

_"I didn't know." Sam replied._

_Dean turned to look at Chuck again. "Where's Cas?" He asked._

_"He's dead." Chuck said, and my heart broke all over again. "Or gone. The archangel smote the crap out of him. I'm sorry."_

_"You're sure?" Dean asked. "I mean, maybe he just vanished into the light or something."_

_"Oh, no." Chuck shook his head. "He, like, exploded. Like a water balloon of chunky soup."_

_Sam nodded. "You got a…" He said, pointing at Chuck's hair where the prophet took out something._

_"Is that a molar?" He cried in disgust. "Do I have a molar in my hair? This has been a really stressful day."_

_"Cas, you stupid bastard." Dean mumbled._

_"Stupid?" Sam questioned. "He was trying to help us."_

_"Yeah, exactly."_

_"So, what now?" Sam asked._

_"I don't know." Dean sighed._

_"Oh, crap." Chuck said._

_"What?"_

_"I can feel them."_

_"Thought we'd find you here." A voice said, and my brothers turned to see Zachariah, Castiel's superior, looking at them._

_Used to be Castiel's superior._

_"Playtime's over, Dean." The angel said. "Time to come with us."_

_"You just keep your distance, ass-hat." Dean growled._

_"You're upset." Zachariah said, all too calm.  
"Yeah" My brother said. "A little. You sons of bitches jump-started judgment day!"_

_"Maybe we let it happen." Zachariah said. "We didn't start anything. Right, Sammy?" He asked, winking at him before turning back to Dean. "You had a chance to stop your brother, and you couldn't. So let's not quibble over who started what. Let's just say it was all our fault and move on. 'Cause like it or not it's the apocalypse now. And we're back on the same team again."_

_"Is that so?" Dean asked._

_"You want to kill the devil." Zachariah explained. "We want you to kill the devil. It's synergy."_

_"And I'm just supposed to trust you?" Dean asked. "Cram it with walnuts, ugly."_

_"This isn't a game, son." Zachariah said. "Lucifer is powerful in ways that defy description. We need to strike now, hard and fast. Before he finds his vessel."_

_"His vessel?" Sam asked. "Lucifer needs a meat suit?"_

_"He _is_ an angel." Zachariah replied. "That's the rules. And when he touches down, we're talking four horsemen, red oceans, and fiery skies. The greatest hits. You can stop him, Dean. But you need our help." He finished, just as the door burst open._

_"Chuck, are you here?" A familiar voice called._

_"We came as soon as we've got your message." Another said and I panicked, because they didn't belong here. Not in my dreams, not with Dean and Sam._

_"Hello, Spencer." Zachariah smiled at them. "_Daniel._ Pleasure seeing you here, all the pieces of the puzzle coming neatly to place."_

_"Um…" Spencer said worryingly. "Who are you?"_

_"Zachariah." Chuck provided before looking at the wall next to the stairs._

_Dean's gaze followed, finding a human-shaped clean area between all of the Cas particles._

_"Was there somebody here with you?" Sam asked. "Someone else was here?"_

_"Where is she?" Daniel asked, distressed._

_"She's safe." Chuck promised._

_"Sleeping upstairs, if I'm not mistaken." Zachariah added. "I must admit, I am thrilled to see the both of you here." He told my best friend and fiancé. "After all, she did a quite thorough job at hiding you. I spent _ages_ looking for you."_

_"Well, tough luck." Dean said, pressing his hand against a symbol he painted while the rest were talking. The angels were banished away and for a moment, there was silence._

_"Learnt that from my friend Cas, you son of a bitch." Dean mumbled._

_Another fresh wave of pain and grief crossed my consciousness at the reminder of Castiel being dead, but it was pushed aside when Dean spoke again._

_"Need any help?" He asked Spencer and Daniel._

_"No, thanks." Daniel said quickly. "I think she'll need some peace and rest right now."_

_"She's probably shaken." Spencer added. "I don't think new faces will do her good. You should probably leave."_

_"Did she know Cas?" Sam asked._

_"She's supposed to be waking up any moment now." Chuck said, cutting out any other question that can be asked. "Dean, Sam, I suppose you will talk to me later." He sighed. "Daniel and Spencer, she's upstairs."_

_My brothers walked towards the door and my friends walked towards the stairs when I felt the feeling of starting to wake up. Just before the door closed behind them, Dean and Sam heard one more line of the conversation inside the house._

_"How bad is she, Chuck?" Spencer asked, worried._

_Chuck sighed darkly. "Worst she's ever been."_

* * *

I woke up and fell asleep repeatedly over the course of the next few hours. Things happened to Dean and Sam, but I was unable to comprehend anything more.

Spencer and Daniel took me home – Spencer driving Daniel's car with me while my fiancé took Darlin'. When they carried me home and put me to bed, I couldn't care less. The only thing on my mind was grief and sorrow, and my mind replayed the picture of Cas dying in loops.

It was like a mantra to me. _Castiel. Castiel. Castiel._ So when I opened my eyes from yet another dream, this time of Bobby stabbing himself to stop a demon that possessed him, I wasn't all that surprised to see him standing in front of me.

Yet another illusion of my brain.

I looked at him, waiting for him to explode again, to disappear into nothingness, but after a couple of minutes had passed and nothing happened other than the two of us staring at each other, I straightened up.

"Cas?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

"Diana." He said, and I knew it was him because nobody else said my name the way he did.

"You're alive." I somehow managed to say. "How?"

"The same way Dean and Sam ended up on that plane." He replied.

"And what was that?"

"You will learn soon enough." Was his only answer.

I looked at him for a couple more seconds before falling back on my bed.

"You're a hallucination." I mumbled.

"Why would you think that?" He asked.

"Because Castiel is dead." I croaked. "I saw it happen. I… I felt it. I was _covered_ in it. You're dead."

"And now I am not." He said. "Stranger things have happened."

"I don't want this." I told him. "I don't want you. I don't want to love you again only to lose you all over again."

"You will not." He promised. "Not this time."

"I don't care." I mumbled into my pillow. "Go away."

"On one condition." Cas said. "You need to stop this self-pity, get out of your bed and tell Daniel, Spencer and David what happened."

"Why?"

"Because they care about you." He replied. "And they worry. They have not left the house since you returned. They deserve that much."

"If I do it," I started, "will you go away?"

"If…" He hesitated. "If that is what you wish."

"Fine." I said. "Go away, then."

"There's just one more thing I should do." He said. He walked to my bed and leaned in, placing a hand above my heart. The pain that followed was so real I knew it swept away every doubt I had about this being an illusion. Illusions don't hurt that much.

"It should keep every angel away from tracing you." He told me. "From Zachariah to Lucifer. You'll be safe."

"And what about my friends?" I asked. "My family?"

"I'll protect them, too." Castiel said. "To the best of my ability."

Then, he was gone with a flutter of wings.

I pushed myself out of the bed and down to the living room, where true to Cas' word, Daniel was waiting with Rossi and Reid. The moment he saw me, my godfather rushed to my side and hugged me.

"We were so worried." He said. "We thought…"

"What happened?" My best friend asked.

"Sam killed Lilith and broke the final seal." I said. "Lucifer is free. Angels want to kill Sam and demons want to kill Dean. Cas exploded to pieces and then came back. Bobby might die, and even if not, he will probably never walk again."

"How are you?" Daniel asked.

"How do you think I am?" I asked. "I'm a wreck. And as if all of that is not enough, there's the icing on top."

"What is it?"

"I'm going to need a new fitting to my wedding dress." I laughed humorlessly. "I'm pregnant."

"You're…" Rossi was shocked. "What… how…"

"Having a prophet friend seems to be helpful." I said bitterly. "I'm… I'm about a month in."

Daniel stepped forward and pulled me to a hug. "Everything will be alright." He said. "We… We have each other. And a baby on the way. We're going to make things work."

He pulled me to a kiss and I sank into it, knowing that telling them was the right choice.

He was right. He really was. We have each other, and everything will be alright.

And the baby is most definitely _his_.

* * *

"Garcia, can you do me a favor?" I asked the technical analyst a couple of days later.

"Sure," she said, "what do you need?"

"Chuck said that Lucifer is going to pick a temporary vessel until he will find his true one." I said. "And between his hints and my hunches, it's going to be someone I know."

"Okay so the search goes to…"

"Everyone who went to Harvard at the same years I did and everyone we worked with." I said, causing her to look at me oddly.

"You do know how long that list is, do you?" She questioned. "It sums to thousands."

"Narrow it down by people who are more vulnerable." I guided. "Recently lost their jobs, death of someone in the family, that sort of things."

"We're still down to a couple of dozens." She muttered.

"Okay," I said thoughtfully, "how about people I worked closely with?"

"I think I can narrow it down to five." She told me. "Look at the list. Everything you think might be relevant?"

"Yeah." I said. "What about this one?"

"Lieutenant Nick Evans." Garcia said. "We worked with him when an Unsub targeted members of Phoenix PD. Two months ago, a man broke into his house… oh, no. Murdered his wife and child in their beds. He came home from a night shift to find them dead."

"What happened then?" I asked.

"He quit his job, spent most of his time drunk and at home." Garcia read from the files. "Two days ago, one of his fellow officers came by to find his house empty. Reported missing."

"That's him." I said, rubbing my face. "He's the vessel. Lucifer is gonna use him for as long as he could before tossing him away. There's no way he's gonna make it."

"That's terrible." Garcia said.

"This is war." I told her. "You better start getting used to it, because this might be what the bad guys do, but the good guys aren't all that better. They need a vessel for Michael."

"Should we look for him, too?" She asked.

"No need for that." I said. "We already know who that is."

"Who?"

"Dean." I said. "They tried to convince him to say yes already. Threatened to kill Sam, to kill Bobby, promised him peace and our parents. Promised him he would see me again."

"Tried?" Garcia repeated.

"Dean won't say yes." I said. "Not in a million years. There will be too many victims in that war – he won't allow himself."

"We better hope that the devil's vessel won't say yes, either." Garcia said. "Because I know that angels are dicks and all, but I don't think demons will be that much better."

* * *

"Gabriel."

The single word left my mouth as I saw the angel sitting in my living room, head in his hands as the despair he felt radiated from him.

"The friggin apocalypse." He said. "I've been trying so hard to stay off the radar, to hide, to keep myself _alive_. Then, your stupid, good-for-nothing brothers go and start the goddamned _apocalypse_."

"To their credit," I said, "they were trying to stop it."

"And the angels." He continued. "Not only letting it happen but _embracing_ it. They honestly think it's a good thing, the fools."

"Not all of them." I said thoughtfully.

"I've noticed." He muttered. "The thing with you and Cas."

"There is _nothing_ with me and Cas." I said harshly.

"Really?" He questioned. "I guess you bringing him back to life is a part of _'nothing'_?"

"I…" I looked at him, surprised. "_I _did that?"

"The Child of Creation." He said, almost mockingly. "Apocalypse is where you thrive."

"What _is_ this thing about the Child of Creation?" I questioned. "The angels are calling me that, the demons are calling me that – and neither side had yet decided if they wanted me dead or on their side."

"The answer is both." Gabriel muttered.

"What?"

"They want you on their side." He said. "But they're probably more than willing to kill you if you chose the other side. Not Michael or Lucifer, though." He added. "They're the only ones that seem to understand that decisions can be changed."

"But what does that even mean?" I asked him. "Being the Child of Creation, what does it _mean_?"

"It means you have great powers." Gabriel told me. "Powers strong enough to bring angels back to existence or, I don't know, put people on a plane to keep them safe."

"That was me?" I asked.

"Yup." He said. "It's mostly emotional now. Those kinds of things are hard to control."

"Can you teach me?"

Now it was his turn to look surprised. "What?" He exclaimed.

"Can you teach me to control my powers?" I repeated.

"Why?" Gabriel asked.

"Because we're dealing with the apocalypse here." I said.

"You can't stop the apocalypse." Gabriel warned.

"I know." I said. "It's already set in motion. But I'm sure as hell gonna make sure I can protect the people I care about. And I could, if I could learn how to use my powers."

"What's in it for me?" He asked.

"You could do it because you know it's the right thing to do." I said. "Because we've gotten to know each other, because I'm the closest thing you had to a friend in centuries. Or," I added, "you can do it because I still owe you one. And if I can use my powers, you'll have a big favor when you'll need it."

He looked at me for a moment before answering. "Fine." He said. "But anything that so much as _smells_ like Michael or Lucifer, and I'm outta here."

"Deal." I smiled. "When do we start?"

"Tomorrow." He said. "I'll pick you up from your place at 3pm. Make sure you're alone and don't be late."

"Wouldn't dream about it." I replied. "And Gabe?"

He turned to look at me. "What?"

"You know that if you ever just need someone to talk to, I'm here, right?"

"Sure thing, hon." He said with a smile before he tapped his fingers and disappeared.

* * *

**So... What did you think? Review!**


	16. (Un)Safe

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Criminal Minds.**

* * *

**Sometimes there are no words or clever quotes  
to neatly sum up what's happened that day.  
Sometimes, the day just... ends.**

**Criminal Minds**

Days went on. Weeks passed by. I enveloped myself with my work and wedding plans, trying to ignore what I saw every night in my dreams, trying to ignore the war that was going on outside.

The first sign was, surprisingly, War. As in, the horseman War.

_When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come." And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him._

War took over a small town; River Pass, Colorado. He made the citizens that were there – and a couple of hunters that passed by – divide into two groups, each believing the other side were Demons.

There was slaughter.

Eventually, Dean and Sam arrived, taking War's ring from him and stopping the fight, but I knew it was only the beginning. If one horseman arrived, the rest will follow – Famine, Pestilence and Death. And it can only go downhill.

I practiced nearly three hours every day with Gabriel. He would take me from wherever I was at 3pm, bring me to one of his safe houses and teach me all he could. It was a slow, hard work, and at first, I was frustrated more often than not, but I managed to put up with everything he threw on me.

He said I was a natural at it.

Then, he'd bring me back. Usually, I was only a couple of minutes late, but occasionally he'd miss. One time, I was really gone for three hours. Hotch nearly killed me, and I nearly killed Gabe. After that, his accuracy almost magically improved.

At the moment, we were practicing summoning and cresting objects with your mind. It was hopeless, it was a skill I didn't think I could ever master, but Gabriel was intent on making me do it.

"Just focus." He said. "Concentrate on what you want to create, but not too much. Think about making it, but still let your instincts lead you."

"How am I supposed to do that?" I exclaimed. "I either let my instincts work or I focus on it – it can't work both ways."

"Yes, it can." He insisted. "Just… think of an apple. Focus on its texture, its color, its feel in your hand, but don't try too hard. Let your powers do the rest."

"This is never gonna work." I ranted.

"You already have the ability." He continued as if I never said a word. "You just need to channel it correctly. And drop the attitude." He added. "It's never going to work if you don't think it would."

_Okay._ I told myself, closing my eyes and concentrating. _Apple. A green apple. It's… green and hard, but not too hard, and not too soft, and it's not that heavy. It's the size of my palm, maybe slightly bigger. What else is there about an apple?_

"Open your eyes." Gabriel said, the smile clear in his voice.

I opened them to see a perfect, green apple in my hand. Smiling, I took a bite before spitting it out.

"No." I said. "Not good, definitely not good. Bad, bad apple."

"Still a step forward." Gabriel laughed. "Now let's try to create an _edible_ apple, okay?"

By the time the three hours were over, I managed to create edibles apple, banana and pineapple, and a knife to use when we ate them. I was exhausted as only the lessons with Gabriel ever left me, and still had to meet with Garcia – my maid of honor – for wedding plans.

"So today we're going to plan seating arrangements!" She said cheerfully, obviously trying to cover up for my sadness every time we planned something that had to do with the guests at the wedding.

I couldn't invite my brothers, as they were still wanted by the FBI, presumed dead and I wasn't speaking with them, Bobby was reluctant about coming because he was depressed with being in a wheelchair as a result of a demon attack and Ellen and Jo didn't answer any of my calls so far.

Overall, the list of my guests was pretty much BAU members and their plus ones, if existed, and Daniel's wasn't much longer. I kept telling myself I wanted a small wedding, hoping I would believe it eventually. But even girls who grew up hunting want a fancy wedding.

"We have three tables," Garcia said, "so I was thinking one for us, one for Daniel's friends, and the rest would sit at the third."

"The rest?" I asked.

"You, Daniel, Bobby, Ellen, Jo and three more at his pick." Garcia counted.

"I don't even know if Bobby, Ellen and Jo will be there." I sighed.

"It's your wedding day." Garcia said. "They would be there even if I had to drive and bring them myself."

"It's going to be terrible." I sighed.

"I will hear no such thing from you." She told me harshly. "It's your wedding day and it's going to be perfect."

"No, it's not." I mumbled. "There's an apocalypse going on outside. They might not be alive for you to bring them yourself."

"Positive thinking!" Garcia called. "Remember our rule?"

"No mentioning the apocalypse when we're making wedding plans." I chanted.

"And what were you just doing?"

"Mentioning the apocalypse." I said. Honestly, the whole situation made me feel like a little kid caught doing something wrong. "Who's bringing plus one?"

"I'm bringing Kevin, JJ's bringing Will, Derek is bringing… someone and I'm pretty sure that's it." Garcia shrugged. "Rossi, Hotch and Reid aren't bringing anybody and I'm pretty sure neither is Emily."

"Pretty sure?" I questioned.

"I will go make sure." She said and I nodded as she walked out of the room to make the call.

Sighing, I grabbed my phone as well and attempted calling Ellen for what felt like the millionth time. To my surprise, she actually picked up.

"What?" The familiar, grumpy voice said and I couldn't help but smile.

"Ellen?" I asked. "It's me. Diana."

"Hey, girl." She said, and I could hear the smile in her voice despite it all. "How are you doing?"

"I'm… actually doing pretty well, considering the circumstances." I admitted. "That is partly why I called. I know it's ages away, but what are you doing on July 12th?"

"July 12th?" Ellen questioned. "Girl, I don't know what I'm doing next Sunday. Why?" She added suspiciously. "What's on July 12th?"

"I'm…" Blush rose to my cheeks, like a teenage girl. "I'm getting married."

"Really?" She asked. I could tell she really was happy for me. "Who's the lucky fella?"

"His name is Daniel." I said. "We dated when I was at Harvard, and then I met him again here, and with this whole apocalypse thing coming we decided to get married while we can."

"Good for you." She said and I smiled. "Well, I know for certain that Jo and I will be there. Who else is coming?"

"Mostly, my team." I said. "A couple of Daniel's friend and Bobby. By the way, could you bring him with you? He… can't really drive right now and I need someone who won't hesitate to kick his ass if he tries to ditch me."

"No problems." Ellen said. "As long as your FBI friends won't pull any stunts on us."

"If you're not on the top of the FBI most wanted list, the only ones who would recognize you are Spencer and Rossi, and they both know."

"Rossi?" Ellen repeated. "You work with Dave Rossi?"

"You know him?" I asked.

"Course I know him." She said. "Know him _really well_, if you know what I mean."

"Okay, not something I wanted to hear about my godfather." I said, disgusted, just as Garcia walked back to the room. "I gotta hang up now, waiting to see you."

"Sure thing, kiddo." She said and hung up.

I smiled, thinking that even after all those years, I'm still a kiddo for her, just like Bobby will always be my Uncle Bobby.

"What didn't you want to know about your godfather?" Garcia questioned as she took her place in front of me.

"I was just on the phone with Ellen." I explained. "She and Jo would be coming and making sure Bobby arrives, too. And apparently, she knows Rossi _really well_."

"That would be amusing to see." She laughed. "So Emily's not bringing any plus one, and we know Ellen, Jo and Bobby are coming. You see? Things are already getting better."

"Yeah." I said, trying my hardest not to think about the fact that my brothers weren't even speaking to each other, or me. "Things are getting better."

* * *

A couple of weeks later, we were heading back from one of the most difficult cases we ever had.

We were tracking down an Unsub in Canada, one that targeted people who were living in the streets. Even with all of our speculations, we couldn't be prepared for what we found. 89 victims, all killed in a madman's attempt to cure himself, using his brother to do so.

We were each sunk into our own thoughts when we returned to Virginia, and I had forgotten I had to go to Hotch's house to set protections until he reminded me in a voice that said that he, too, had other things on his mind.

I came with him nonetheless, following him to the small apartment he lived in, alone now that Haley left with Jack. Neither of us were really focused, or we might have noticed the small signals that meant someone else was in here as well.

Hotch threw his keys on the table next to the door thoughtlessly, and put his bag nearby. He walked towards the kitchen where he put his gun and badge on the table before pouring himself a drink.

I was a couple of steps away at the most, but I wasn't really paying close attention when the hooded figure neared us. It was the clicking of a revolver hammer being pulled back to the cocked position that brought me back to reality and I looked up, seeing Hotch slowly turning around.

"You should have made a deal." The man said, before pulling the trigger.

My hand automatically reached to my own gun and I pulled it out, pointing at the hooded figure. It took me a moment to focus my gaze and realize that he hadn't shot Hotch after all.

"Don't bother, Agent Chess." He said. "You know it wouldn't work on me." He turned his attention back to Hotch. "Is this part of my profile? You can't show me fear?"

"If you don't see fear, maybe it's because I'm not afraid of you." Hotch replied.

"You said that like you actually meant it." The man said. "I suppose Chessi here didn't tell you the whole of it."

I fought against the urge to take a quick breath when I realized. "Foyet." I mumbled.

"Diana." He replied. "Now why don't you put the gun down, sit on that chair and let Agent Hotchner tie you to it?"

"And why should I do that?" Hotch asked.

"Because she knows just what I'm capable of." Foyet told him. "And I'd hate to kill or turn a pregnant woman. Tell me," he said, "what do you think would happen to the baby? I really need to find out one day."

"Why shouldn't I kill you right here and now?" I asked, trying to hide my fear.

"Because you can't." He said. "We both know that if you had dead man's blood, or a lovely machete nearby, I'd be dead. I must admit," he chuckled, "I wasn't expecting you to be here. But I will surely not let it interrupt with my plans."

Hotch sent me a quick glance and I nodded as I let go of my gun and kicking it towards Foyet. He picked it up, still pointing the other one at Hotch, and marked my fellow agent towards one of the chairs. Hotch put me in it and tied me tightly using a sheet Foyet threw at us.

"_We're playing right to his hands_." He whispered.

"_If he wanted us dead, we'd be dead by now_." I whispered back.

He nodded and backed away, allowing Foyet to check the ties. He tightened them even further, to the level I was certain bruising would remain, before looking back at Hotch. He pulled off his mask, surely wanting us to see the smile on his face, when Hotch attacked.

He stormed at him and punched him in the face, only pushing him slightly backwards before Foyet fought back. The vampire was by far more skilled as he grabbed him and threw him at the ground.

"Hotch!" I called when Foyet kicked him face, sending him backwards before hitting him with the barrel of the gun and tossing it aside for the favor of a knife.

"So tell me," he said, leaning in by his side, "if I wanted you dead, would I use this?"

Hotch didn't even have the chance to answer before the knife was plunged into his abdomen.

Once, twice, again and again, each time accompanied with a grunt from Hotch. I didn't even bother screaming after the fifth time, just waiting for it to be over. When it was, Foyet leaned in and turned Hotch so that he would be in my eyesight. Then, he leaned in and started drinking the blood that tricked from his wounds.

Disgusted, I closed my eyes, only causing the vampire to laugh.

"You think this is bad?" He asked. "Just wait for what I would do to you. Not today," he added, nearly as an afterthought, "it would be much more satisfying to kill your husband and baby first."

"Stay away from my family!" I growled, standing up and turning around to break the chair on him.

Foyet stood right up, unaffected, and grabbed my hand until it twisted in an uncomfortable angle, pinning me to his body.

"You have two options now." He whispered in my ear. "You can either help me get Aaron here to a hospital, come with me and maybe live another day, or you can keep putting up a fight and you both die."

"Why would you take him to a hospital?" I asked.

"I want him to know," Foyet said, clearly smiling, "that I control his life or death."

A glint of victory rose inside me. I wouldn't say it out loud, not wanting to make him change his mind, but giving me this choice, Foyet put me in control of the situation. Rookie mistake. But I was going to use it for as long as I could.

"What do I need to do to keep you away from my family?" I asked. "All I want to do is keep them safe."

_That's it._ I told myself. _Make him think he's got control, when he doesn't. Make sure _you_ win this round._

"I want you to come with me." He said. "Join me."

"What's so special about me?" I asked.

"Nothing." Foyet said. "At least, I didn't think there was something, until I saw your conversation with the angel the other day. The Child of Creation, now at my mercy."

Great. Another player to add to the everlasting list of those who want to use me. but he also reminded me of something I had forgotten – my lessons with Gabriel. Carefully, I focused on bringing a knife to my hand.

"Stand in line." I said. "Lucifer and Michael called dibs."

"So I've heard." He said, his eyes darting towards the kitchen counter before hitting me in the head, hard. "I guess I won't get you today." He said." But you won't kill me today, either."

And with that he hit me again, sending me unconscious.

* * *

I came back to my senses an unknown time later in a hospital bed. Cringing my head to the left, I could see Hotch, a nurse instructing him to calm down.

"What happened?" I croaked, before realizing my voice wasn't working. "What happened?" I asked again, causing the nurse to look at me.

"You got knocked pretty hard and an internal bleeding started." She said. "The baby is alright, but we had to sedate you because you kept opening your stiches. It looks like you had nightmares."

"Yeah." I said, thinking about all of the horrors I see in my dreams. "I usually do." My mind was running a thousand miles per hour, and I had to figure out so many things. "The baby?"

"Safe and well." The nurse said.

"Daniel?"

"On his way." Prentiss said from the door.

"Fo –" The name seemed to be stuck in my throat, the way even Lucifer's didn't. "Foyet?" I whispered.

"Escaped." Hotch said bitterly. "And he's after Haley and Jack."

"He's going after our families." I said. "He wanted me to know he'll be coming after my family."

"We'll protect them." Prentiss said.

"How?" I asked. "With all that is going on, how will I ever be able to protect my family?"

Even though only Hotch and I knew the whole story – Apocalypse, Demons and Angels – nobody seemed to have an answer.

* * *

**A/N:**** Sorry about the delay again... It doesn't mean I love you any less!**

**I was really frustrated, even when I finished the chapter, cause I dodn't have a quote,but then I remembered the one you can see up there and it seemed fitting so I put it.**

**Hopefully I would get the next chapter done by Sunday, but just so you know - it's time for a wedding!**

**Sneak peak:**

"Everything's going to be terrible."

I stood at my room, morning of my wedding, three months pregnant. The make up was already in place and my hair was perfectly arranged. And I am having a panic attack in front of Spencer and Penelope. My heart rate was over the roof and I was shaking.

"Everything's going to be terrible." I repeated. "I just know it would. The… the dress is going to be too small. Too big. It's not going to fit. Oh, God. What was I thinking? Having a wedding while pregnant? We should have done it sooner. Or later. Or when I'm not friggin pregnant."


	17. Weddings

**A/N: So I know the last couple of chapters were rather short and I would like to apologize in advance because this one is pretty short, too. They were mainly filler chapter (I know, I know, but you need to have them every once in a while).**

**This one is a chapter I had planned since I started writing An Opening Match, but actually writing it turned out to be more difficult than I thought it would be.**

**The next chapter is based on th episode 'The End', and I already have it written, it's about 4.5K words, possibly more but no less. It also has _Dean_ in it ~Finally~ but, of course, things aren't simple when you're a Winchester.**

**I would also like to take a moment and appreciate the fact that there's someone whose penname here at is _Carver Edlund_, and that they ttok the time to read this, review, and follow 'An Opening Match'. If you're reading this - know that you made my day!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural, Criminal Minds or any song mentioned in this chapter/story/at all.**

* * *

**"I believe in a traditional wedding,  
With one guy, one girl,  
And one dad with a shotgun."  
Jarod Kintz, ****_Sleepwalking is Restercise._**

"Everything's going to be terrible."

I stood at my room, morning of my wedding, three months pregnant. The make up was already in place and my hair was perfectly arranged. And I am having a panic attack in front of Spencer and Penelope. My heart rate was over the roof and I was shaking.

"Everything's going to be terrible." I repeated. "I just know it would. The… the dress is going to be too small. Too big. It's not going to fit. Oh, God. What was I thinking? Having a wedding while pregnant? We should have done it sooner. Or later. Or when I'm not friggin pregnant."

The look on Penelope's face was almost amused. "Are you done?" She asked.

"Done?" I repeated. "How could I be done? The dress is clearly not going to fit –"

"You haven't even tried it on." Spencer noted.

"– I'm nauseated –"

"Drink some water and it will pass."

"– and all I can think about is pickled onions." I finished, ignoring their comments. "I… I don't know. This was a bad idea, a _very _bad idea."

"Is this having second thoughts about the wedding?" Garcia questioned.

"No!" I said. "I love Daniel, and I'm happy to marry him. Just… why did I have to be pregnant?"

"Because life sucks." Garcia said and I looked up at her, shocked. "What? You got knocked up. Happens to the best, just look at JJ. But you _love_ Daniel, and he loves you. Do you think he cares if you walk down the aisle with a not-fitting dress? All he cares is that _you_ walk down the aisle."

I took a couple of deep breaths to calm myself before looking up at her.

"Thank you." I said. "I needed it."

"I know you did." She replied, smiling. "That's why I'm your maid of honor. Now, let's solve the problems one by one."

"I have an idea how." Spencer said. "Gabriel, do you mind coming here for a couple of moments?"

"What?" The angel asked as he appeared in front of us. "I was just talking to the hottest bridesmaid I had ever seen, excluding present company, of course." He added, wary of Garcia.

"I've seen who you were talking to." She said, laughing. "Prentiss will eat you alive."

"We'll never find out now, will we?" He questioned with a wink. "What'd you need?"

"The bride is afraid the dress won't fit." Spencer said.

"Easy-peasy." Gabriel said with a smile. With a click of his fingers, I was wearing the dress, which was a perfect fit, of course. "Anything else?"

"Pickled onions." I mumbled and they appeared in front of me.

I looked at them, and then at Gabriel before rushing to him and giving him a hug.

"Thank you, so much." I whispered in his ear. "For everything."

"No problem." He said seriously, returning the hug. "It's your wedding day. Go have fun."

"The ceremony is in twenty minutes." Garcia said. "I'm on the phone with Ellen, they should be here by then. Can I leave you alone or would you try to run out the window?"

"You can leave me here." I said, laughing as they left.

When I was left alone, however, I sunk back into my dark thoughts. Bobby wasn't returning my calls during the past couple of weeks, and I didn't know what to take of it.

I stood up and started stepping back and forth in my room, trying my hardest to ignore the small, passimist voice inside my head.

_Maybe he's injured._

_Maybe he's dead._

_Maybe he's worst than dead._

_Maybe he just got stuck in traffic._

_Maybe he couldn't come._

_Maybe he doesn't _want_ to come._

There was a knock on my door and I froze.

"Bobby?" I asked hopefully.

"Sorry, girl. Only me here." Rossi walked inside and paused, staring at me. "You look marvelous." He said.

"Thank that to Gabriel and Garcia." I said. "All I can think about is what will happen to the dress if I have to fight something."

"You won't need to fight anything." Rossi promised. "It's your wedding day. Nothing's gonna happen."

"At least not with the holy water in every drink, the salt under the windows and the devil's traps under the floor rags." I commented.

"I still can't believe you found a wedding venue owned by hunters." Rossi chuckled. "Don't you think you're taking it a bit over the line?"

"Nice to meet you, Diana Chess." I said. "Raised by Bobby Singer, a paranoid bastard."

"Speaking of the bastard, where is he?" Rossi asked.

"I don't know." I sighed. "I keep imagining the worst case scenario."

"Everything's gonna be fine." He said. "This is your wedding day. And it's gonna be perfect."

"If only I could believe it." I said bitterly.

"Why wouldn't it be perfect?"

"Because it already isn't." I said simply. "My wedding day should have Sam, talking nerdy with Spence. It should have Dean, hitting on every bridesmaid and waitress. It should have my dad, walking me down the aisle and Ash, laughing at how ridiculous I look with a dress. And it should have Bobby."

"It _will_ have Bobby." Rossi noted.

"Not if the idjit won't be here soon."

"Who're you calling an idjit, idjit?"

A smile jumped to my face as I turned towards the voice.

"Uncle Bobby!"

He rolled his wheelchair towards me and I jumped at him, giving him a hug.

"And will ya stop calling me 'Uncle Bobby'?" He asked, returning my hug. "I feel old enough as it is, Peanut."

I laughed and let go of him. "Sure, ol' man." I said with a smile and he shrugged.

"Why do I even bother?" He asked before noticing Rossi was also in the room. "Dave." He said politely but nothing more.

"Bobby." Rossi replied in the same tone.

"Oh, will you two grow up?" I asked. "It's my wedding day. Please, just for today, behave."

"Fine." They sighed together, which caused me to giggle and them to glare at each other.

There was a knock on my door and an eager-looking Garcia shoved her head in.

"Everyone is seated and waiting just for you." She said. "Do they...?" She looked between Rossi and Bobby.

"I should go settle down." Rossi said, leaning to kiss my cheeks. "I'll see you soon."

Garcia nodded and opened the door further away, allowing enough space for him to get out, and I was left with a confused looking Bobby.

"Where's he going?" He asked.

"To take his place, of course." I replied.

"Shouldn't he be walking you down the aisle?"

"Course not!" I said. "You're walking me down the aisle. Come on," I added to the look on disbelief on his face, "you practically raised me, Uncle Bobby. D'ya really think I'd let anyone else hand me over?"

"I don't know." He admitted. "I thought you wanted to walk down the aisle with... You know. Someone who can walk."

I sighed. "You're an idiot, you know?"

"What?" He asked.

"Can't you see?" I questioned. "Nobody cares, except you. It doesn't matter - not to Dean or Sam and definitely not to me."

"So..." He hesitated. "You still want me to walk you down the aisle?"

"Alright, let's make it clear." I said. "You're walking me down the aisle whether you like it or not, okay? This is my wedding day and the bride always gets what she wants. Now come on." I smiled at him. "Everyone's waiting."

Bobby and I went down and stood at the doorway to the hall, where everybody were already seated and waiting for us to come in. The classic bride melody started playing and my bridesmaids – Penelope, JJ and Prentiss, since Jo threatened to kill me if I put her in a dress – walked in one by one until it was only us left.

"Nervous?" He asked.

"Excited." I said. "Daniel wouldn't let me hear the down the aisle song. It's the only music I had absolutely no control over, and Rossi wouldn't tell me what it is."

"Isn't it this?" He asked, talking about the tune that was now playing.

"No." I said. "But since it's time to come in, I guess we're gonna find out soon."

I put my hand on the wheelchair's armrest and we entered the hall, the music stopping as we did and a new song playing. I couldn't help but smile as I heard the familiar song, and my heart warmed, washing away every fear I had when I saw Daniel standing by one of his friends and looking at me.

_"And you can tell everybody_  
_That this is your song._  
_It may be quite simple_  
_But now that it's done."_

The look on his face was one to remember, and I could almost see the love vibrating away from him, as if displaying the words of the song on his face.

_"I hope you don't mind,_  
_I hope you don't mind,_  
_That I put down to words_  
_How wonderful life is_  
_While you're in the world."_

"We are here today to cherish the beautiful union between a man and a woman." The priest said but I was only half listening, my entire attention was on Daniel.

His face were stretched in a big, beautiful smile, and I couldn't help but wonder – is this really it? Did I really get a fairytale-like happy ending? Can it be possible that it's real?

"Say your vows." The priest said and Daniel looked into my eyes.

"When I first met you, I was shocked." He said. "You were so young, and already left so much behind. When we were first dating, I felt like the luckiest man in the whole world, until I made the stupid mistake of leaving you. I vow to mend for that mistake, starting now, and for the rest of my life."

My eyes shone with tears of happiness as I spoke.

"Every day I spend with you, is like a day from a dream. And I keep waiting for someone to wake me up, but time and time again, I don't. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, living in that dream. Cause it's the best I had ever had."

"Do you, Daniel Andrew McCloud, take Diana Chess, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

The look of love in Daniel's eyes was simply too good to be true. "I do."

"And do you, Diana Millie Chess, take Daniel McCloud, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

"I do." I said, meaning every word of it.

"You may kiss the bride." The priest finished and Daniel pulled me into a long, passionate kiss before we broke away and fell into the congratulations of our friends.

* * *

I danced with everybody.

Daniel and I danced to the sound of what had already become our song – Elvis Presley's "Falling in love with you" – I danced one father-daughter dance with Rossi – "Eternal Flames" by The Bangles – and all but forced Bobby to have a father-daughter dance with me as well – to the sound of Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World". Even Gabriel stole me for a dance – "Let's Dance", a song I was _certain_ was not on the playlist I arranged.

I was heading to the bar to grab myself a glass of water before I return to being with everybody when I saw him.

He was standing in the middle of the room, standing out between all of the suits with his worn out trench coat. My breath hitched in my throat in shock, but nobody else seemed to notice his presence.

Or, at least, so I thought.

A static noise filled my mind – not my ears but _actually _my mind – and through it, I could hear words in a beautiful voice that sounded almost like singing.

"… not… away…"

And an equally beautiful voice replied.

"… don't… watching… protect."

"… safe." Said the first voice again. "… keeping… safe… can."

"… Is not enough!" The other voice said angrily.

_What the hell is that? _I thought and Castiel turned to look at me, surprise in his eyes.

"… Hear us." One of the voices said.

"… can… is… Creation!"

I looked around and saw Gabriel leaning on the bar and looking straight at Gabriel, a mask of carelessness on his face but his eyes focused.

"… safe." The first voice, which must have belonged to him said. "… teaching… powers… protecting…"

Castiel looked at me as he replied. "… Sure?"

"Yes."

Cas nodded once, very slowly before looking at me with a sad look, something that almost reminded me longing before he disappeared. Immediately, I ran to Gabriel.

"What was that?" I asked him angrily.

"It seems like Cas was planning to crush your party." Gabriel replied.

"Not that." I said, annoyed. "The thing. With the talking in my head."

"Enochian." He said simply.

"Enochian?" I repeated. "The language-of-angels Enochian?"

"The one and only." Gabriel replied. "It's just one of those things that happens. The more you use your powers, the more of our real forms you can see and hear. Didn't you notice that my halo grew bigger in your eyes?"

I observed him for a moment before I realized he was right. I didn't see it before, since it happened gradually, but his halo grew bigger. _It would probably grow even bigger with him being an Archangel and all._ I thought to myself.

"Was that the reason nobody else could see Cas?" I asked. "Because nobody else…"

"Only angels can see other angels when they're invisible." Gabe said. "And, apparently, you."

"That's so weird." I mumbled.

"Get used to it, darling." He replied. "Because as our lessons will go on, it would only get worst. Are you ready for it?"

"You know I am." I told him before heading back towards Daniel.

"Hello, Mrs. McCloud." He said, smiling. "I was looking for you."

"I'm right here." I said. "And… you do know I'm not gonna take your name, right?"

"Figured that much." He said. "Now, I noticed you had yet to introduce me to those two beautiful ladies." He added, marking at Ellen and Jo.

"Ellen and Jo Harvelle." I said. "Though they are more than capable of introducing themselves. Each of them can also kick your ass if she feels like it."

"I bet they can." Daniel smiled. "Let me guess. Sisters?"

"Let me guess, suck up?" Ellen replied. "Don't try that on me, boy, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into."

"Ellen." Rossi said, appearing as if from nowhere. "I thought I heard your lovely voice."

"Stuff it, old man." She said.

"Care for a dance?" He smiled at her.

"With you?" She asked. "Always."

"Am I the only one who's finding it weird?" Jo asked.

"No, you're not." I replied and we both burst into laughter while Daniel looked at us, a somewhat confused look on his face.

* * *

After everybody went home, Daniel and I went to our honeymoon in Miami, where we spent most of our time in our room at the hotel. We went to the beach and swam in the warm water, ate in small cafés near where we were staying and enjoyed ourselves.

For the whole of the week of our honeymoon, I had managed to forget about everything else – murders, demons and the Apocalypse were all tossed aside in favor of simply relaxing with my husband.

After we went back to Virginia, I went back to work, but it was all very calm since my doctor said I was not allowed to be put in any stressful situations. I helped Garcia at the office, researched from afar and gave the team my thoughts about the cases we were working. I used my spare time to go across the cases in JJ's office, sending those who involved the supernatural world to hunters I know.

Every night, I came back home to Daniel.

I kept contact with Chuck, and he informed me of everything that Sam was going through, since he and Dean still weren't in talking terms. At one of our conversations, he mentioned the books he never got to publish and I contacted Garcia, who immediately started finding ways to start publishing again, since he was still writing.

Everything was starting to make sense. I worked endlessly with Gabriel and improved my skills, learning – remembering, as he said – to speak Enochian and developing my skills.

Things were good.

One day, at the end of August, I was making myself coffee at the bullpen area. We were just working the third urgent case in a row, and I felt like if I were to stay without coffee much longer, I'd fall asleep.

I was holding the warm cup in my hand, reaching out the other one to open the door to Garcia's office when I felt a pull.

There was bright light and a sickening feeling before I found myself standing in a dump. I looked around, confused, and headed towards one of the nearest buildings, that were still standing.

On my way, I passed wrecks of cars and dead bodies. I cringed my nose at the smell and looked into the building. The place seemed like it was once a shop, on better times, but I couldn't pinpoint what type of shop. Sighing, I turned around and looked at the street I was in.

One thing was certain – I was nowhere near Quantico.

Shotguns were heard and I took out my own, ready to attack if necessary, when a familiar figure approached.

My breath hitched in my throat as I took in what my eyes were seeing and my brain was refusing to realize.

A couple of years older, maybe, having a great, bright halo to her and dirt all over her clothes and face but there was no doubt. I looked at her, and she looked at me back, identical green eyes locking onto one another.

I was looking at myself.


	18. Things to Come

**A/N: Another chapter on time! I should make a habit out of it...**

**And, guys, no reviews? :(**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Criminal Minds.**

* * *

**"If you ignore the mountain,  
Doesn't mean the mountain will ignore you, too."  
Tanveer Mazhar.**

"The Croatoan started hitting the major cities about two years ago." Future-Me said. "Things had gotten pretty shitty until then, but when that happened everything went havoc."

We were currently walking around Virginia, sticking to the shadows and the alleys where she knew nobody would see us. I tried not to gawk but it was pretty hard.

She walked similar to the way I walk, but there was something else to it, as well. Something broken. She walked as if stopping would make her fall apart. I wondered what happened to her."

"Most people died in the first attacks, but those who didn't died from the virus or from people who got it." She explained, giving me the odd feeling that she knew what I was thinking about. "Out of the team, the only ones who survived were Morgan, Rossi and Reid. They're taking care of Jack and Henry."

"Are you taking me to them?" I asked.

"Soon." She said coldly. "First, you need to understand. The world is burning. Sam said yes to Lucifer. The angels left. The few survivors are in camps led by former hunters – not that there are much of them, Lucy killed them all pretty soon. Bobby got ganked about a week in because they wanted him dead fast. At least it meant the old man didn't suffer much." She mumbled darkly.

"What about Daniel?"

A look of pain flashed across Future-Me's eyes. "He's gone." She said. "The demons and angels killed him when they couldn't get to me."

"They want us dead?" I asked.

She laughed darkly. "They don't really care anymore. The fighting just goes on until we pick a side – not that they know it, of course." She said. "Lucy's sure that he can win without us and that we would just belong to him afterwards of something along the lines of that crap."

"Why didn't you pick the side of the angels?" I questioned. "I mean, sure, they're not great, but they must be better than Satan, don't they?"

"No." Future-Me said darkly. "Those sons of bitches are just as bad." She sighed. "When are you from?"

"August 2009." I said.

"Thought so." She said. "Because of the…" She looked at my pregnant belly. "_That_."

"Do you know why I am here?" I asked her.

"Gees, I ask a lot of questions, don't I?" She mumbled as she rubbed her eyes. "Zach sent Dean to see what would happen if he didn't say yes to Mike. A load of bull crap, if you ask me."

"Gees, I do curse a lot, don't I?" I asked sarcastically. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"The dreams." Future-Me said. "The stupid, annoying, sons of a bitch dreams. It's a connection between you and Dean. He got sent here, and so did you."

"But he was sent to the past once, by Cas." Future-Me cringed at the name but didn't say anything. "I wasn't sent with him back then."

"You couldn't understand Enochian back then, either." She said. "Or move objects with your mind, create things from nothing or see halos as clear as you do now. Side effect of training."

"Gabe really should have put a warning sign on that."

"Why would it matter?" Future-Me asked. "You would've done it anyway, I know you would. That's what I would have done. Anyways, Dean's here and by default, so are you. You're gonna stay here until they pull him back."

"Can't you do it?" I asked.

"I'm sort of trying to stay under the radar right now." She said. "Sending people to the past might not be the safest way to go. Sorry, darling. You're stuck here. Well, not _here_, you can't stay in Virginia."

"What?" I asked, confused. "Why?"

"You wanted to go to Spence, didn't you?" She asked. "They're at Camp Chitaqua, I'm sending you there."

"I don't understand." I said. "Why aren't _we_ there, too?"

"I told you." Future-Me said. "I'm trying to keep under the radar." She put two fingers on my forehead. "Tell Cas I said hi, will you?" She asked, teleporting me away.

I landed in the middle of a tent-field, to the shock of people around me.

"What the _hell_ –"

"Did you just see –"

"Is that who I think –"

"She can't be –"

"She is –"

"Somebody call the commander!"

Before everything went dark.

* * *

I woke up to two familiar voices talking to each other angrily.

"You can't do that!" One of them said.

"I can and I will do whatever I want to do." The other, who was similar to the first only less hoarse, replied.

"Listen, I don't know what you think –"

"What I think is that that's my _sister_!"

"_Our_ sister." The first voice said. "And half of it is already her fault."

"Her fault?" The second voice asked. "How is that her fault?"

"If she wouldn't have left all those years ago, none of this would have happened."

"Don't give me that crap. I don't believe that for a second and that means neither do you."

"A lot changed in five years, Dean."

_Dean._

I opened my eyes and looked around me. I seemed to be inside one of the tents, alone, and the two voices were coming from the entrance of it. They were Dean's voice, both of them, so one of them must have been Future-Dean. I just needed to figure out who was who and get the hell outta here.

"Let me pass." A third voice – Spencer's voice – said.

"No." Both Deans said together.

"That wasn't a question." Spencer said. "If she's from this time, she must be in real trouble to come here after what happened last time. If she's from 2009, which is the more likely option, the last person she wants to see is you two. Let me pass. Now."

There was silence for a moment before the tent opened up and Spencer walked inside. He looked so similar to what he used to – same thin nerd – and tears rose into my eyes. But when he looked at me, I saw the difference between the two. My Spencer was never this haunted. And if I have a say about it, he never will be.

"Hey, Chessi." He said. "Long time no see."

"Only been a couple of days for me." I said.

"You really are from 2009, then?" He asked.

"Wasn't the whole pregnancy deal a big enough clue?" I asked. "IQ of 187, thought you could figure that much out. The other me did."

"You saw Diana? Where?"

"Virginia." I said. "She's the one who popped me here."

"I'm not surprised." Spencer said. "We probably should have realized that when you appeared from nowhere."

"It looks like you're not too strong on the 'figuring stuff out' thing nowadays, are you?" I laughed bitterly. "What did the Apocalypse do to you?"

"Made me lose everything I have." He said darkly. "We almost thought we were losing you again, too. You slept for a whole day."

"Again?" I asked.

"You died a couple of times already." Spencer said. "Kept popping right side up, though. Made a couple of guys not trust you so you left."

"Doesn't sound like something I'd do." I said. "I don't usually run away from bullies."

"You do when they have guns." Spencer said. "Especially when those guns aren't pointed at you."

Fear coursed through me. "Did anybody get hurt because of me?"

"Rossi had a couple of nasty bruises and Jack was scared but nothing more." Spence told me. "Nothing serious."

"Can't say the same about the people who pointed the guns." Someone said, and the two Deans walked into the room.

One of them wore a green jacket and the other wore a light brown one, but they both had severe looks on their faces.

"I'm the one from this time." Brown jacket said. "And _you_ killed three of my best men."

"Your best men pointed guns at a nine year old." Spencer said angrily.

"They probably had a reason." Future-Dean shrugged and Dean looked at him with disbelieve.

"_They probably had a reason_?" He repeated. "Must've been a damn good reason if you didn't kill them yourself."

"Trust me, it was." Future-Dean replied, sending a glare at my direction.

"She didn't do any of that yet." Spencer said. "Now get out."

"It's not your call." Future-Dean said. "I'm your commander."

"But you're not hers." Dean said. "She should be the one to make that call."

Future-Dean looked at me and I looked away, ashamed.

"Spineless as usual." He said mockingly.

"That's it, you're getting out of here, _now_." Spencer said harshly.

"You can't make that decision for her." Future-Dean said again.

"And you can?" Spencer asked. "She'd rather _anybody_ but you calling the shots about her. Rossi and Morgan and you know what, even Cas has more right to decide." He looked at Dean worryingly. "Being her guardian angel and all."

"He ain't no angel and he's doing a crappy job at protecting her." Future-Dean replied.

"Because _you_ do such a great job." Spencer replied sarcastically. "Henry is doing a better job than you."

"Sorry for the ignorance," Dean said, confused, "but who's Henry?"

"Her six years old godson." Future-Dean said, not tearing his eyes off Spencer. "She's not gonna leave the tent." He told my best friend.

"Fine by me." Reid replied.

"And I want an armed guard here 24/7." He added.

"To keep her in or keep others out?" Spencer questioned.

"Both."

Spencer nodded. "I'll tell Morgan." He said. "Now if you please get the hell away from her."

Future-Dean sent me another glare and left the tent, grabbing my brother with him.

"What the hell?" I heard Dean ask.

"Trust me," Future Dean said darkly, "you better off not knowing."

* * *

Morgan was stationed as a guard out of my room, allowing people to visit me and laughing with me himself. Like Spencer, there was some kind of emptiness in his eyes, and I vowed that when I get back to my time, I will do anything I can to make sure he'll never have to go through all of this.

Henry and Jack came to visit, and Henry asked me why I wasn't coming to see him anymore. Jack told him to be quiet, but later told me he's not mad at me that the bad guys pointed a gun at him.

"You're protecting us." He said. "You're a superhero, just like daddy was."

_Was._ That one word that tore my heart to shreds. Because Hotch wasn't there. Neither were Prentiss, Garcia and JJ. Neither were Daniel and the baby, and I kept wondering what happened to them, because I couldn't miss the sad looks everybody sent at my pregnant stomach.

Voices were coming from the outside of the tent again. Angry voices – Morgan was fighting with someone.

"I don't care what you say, I don't care what _Dean_ said, let me pass, now!"

My heart skipped a beat at the familiar voice. I put Jack down and looked up just in time to see Castiel barging through and looking at me.

The first thought that crossed my mind was that something was odd with him.

He still looked the same. Same electrifying blue eyes, same ruffled hair. He had a couple of days' old beard and he was wearing a shirt and trousers instead of his usual trench coat and tie, but there was no doubt in my mind that it wasn't what bothered me about him. Something was _missing_.

He looked at me like he wanted to memorize each and every one of my features. He looked at me as if he was afraid I would disappear the moment he looked away. Then, with three long steps, he closed the distance between us and pressed his lips onto my own.

I sunk into the familiar softness of his lips, his touch, his breath on my face. It had been so long since I last kissed him – since I touched him. it hadn't happened since before I found out I was pregnant.

Thoughts about the pregnancy made me pull back and look at him. Something was clearly different. His _halo_ was missing.

"Did you and Uncle Cassie made up again?" Henry asked, excited.

"Jack, honey," I told the older boy, still shocked about my realization, "can you two please go outside?"

"Come on, Henry, let's go to Uncle Derek." The boy said, following the six year old who ran outside enthusiastically.

The moment they were gone, Castiel leaned in to kiss me again, but I stopped him.

"Please, Diana." He said. "It's been a year."

"I'm not her." I told him, referring to the other me. To _Future_-Me.

"You're still you." He said. "You're Diana Chess and I love you at every time we are from."

"But _I_ don't." I said. "Last time I saw you, I told you to go away from my wedding. My wedding with _Daniel_. I don't understand half of what is going on! You… you're _human_, Cas!" I called out. "I don't know what happened to you! I don't know what happened to Daniel or the baby! I only just found out it was a girl!"

Cas looked at me, sadness in his features. "Nobody told you anything?" He asked, tears in his eyes.

"The only person who actually _explained_ things to me was, well, other me." I said bitterly.

"You saw her?" Cas asked. "Where?"

"Virginia." I replied. "She sent me here. Asked me to tell you she said 'hi'."

Cas sat down on the bed, his face in his hands.

"I just miss her so much." He said.

"Why?" I asked. "What happened? What did I miss?" I smiled, half sad and half amused. "Why is Henry calling you _Uncle Cassie_?"

"Some things are better off not knowing." He mumbled.

"Don't give me that." I said. "I _deserve_ to know, and you know it. Just tell me, Cas." I put my hand on his shoulder. "Tell me."

And he did.

He told me about all of the fear in the first couple of weeks, when people didn't realize what was happening yet. He told me about the death that followed people wherever they went. He told me how hard I tried to protect my team, my family, and how I managed, for a while.

"Six months after the attacks had begun, they found you." Cas told me. "The prophecy about the Child of Creation – 'Whom she would choose shall conquer the world'. Demons and angels were on your tail."

"They caught up to me." I said.

"They did." Cas sighed. "There was a huge battle. The casualties…"

"Who?" I asked and he didn't reply. "Cas, _who_?"

"Prentiss, Hotch, Gabriel." He said, like he was reading a list of unrelated people. "About a hundred citizens. Daniel. The baby." His voice cracked. "And you."

"I died?" I asked.

"You do that." Cas replied. "Quite frequently, really. Something keeps bringing you back."

"And Daniel?" I asked. "The…" My hand flew to my stomach.

"Daniel was killed by Demons." Cas said. "The angels killed the baby."

Anger and sadness rushed through my veins, as I mourned something that hadn't even happened yet. "Why?" I asked. "Why would they do that?"

"For the same reason I fell." Cas said.

"Because they're dicks?" I asked, purposely ignoring what I knew he must have meant.

"Don't give me that." Cas said, hurt in his eyes. "You know the truth, Diana. Old me might've bought everything you gave him but I know better than that. The baby is –"

"It's Daniel's baby!" I called out.

"It's not and you know it!" Cas called. "I _fell_ for you! For _her_! I fell for having a baby with a human!"

I paused. "What?" I asked in disbelief.

"It is a _sin_," Cas said, "to produce a Nephilim. A sin whose punishment is banishment from Heaven."

"You fell because of me?" I asked, tears forming in my eyes.

"I fell _for_ you." Castiel corrected me. "I fell because I love you. Because I loved her – _Our_ baby." He put one of his hands on my stomach and the other on my cheek. "You left. _She_ left to keep us safe here and I was broken. I tried to distract myself with pills, alcohol, other women but it just wasn't the same. None of them were you and all I want is _you_."

"I can't." I said. "I'm married to Daniel."

"Not here." He said. "There's no Daniel here. Nobody will ever know."

"I will." I told him. "I'll know."

"Please." Cas whispered. "_Please_. I did everything you ever asked me to do. I gave up _everything_ for you, in your time and in this one. So _please_," he looked into my eyes, "do this for me."

* * *

"Please tell me you're decent."

I jumped in fear at the sound of Dean's voice, causing Castiel to sigh.

"One minute!" He called in a sing-song voice, picking up his shirt and putting it on while I wore the clothes I came with.

"The only reason I'm not telling the clone out there is because he still has the chance not to be scarred for life." Future-Dean growled.

"You have already seen us in worst situations." Cas said.

"Don't remind me." Future-Dean said.

"One would think you'd get used to it by now."

"To the ex-angel screwing my sister?" Future-Dean asked. "I don't think so. You need to come to the briefing about our mission." He threw a glance at my direction. "She's staying here."

"You're paranoid and overreacting." Castiel said.

"I'm trying to protect my men." Future-Dean told him.

"Because that's even an option nowadays." Cas retorted before leaning in to kiss me. "Remember that I love you." He told me. "Here and then."

"Do you _want_ to make me puke?" Future-Dean asked, mimicking gagging.

"I'm coming, oh, mighty leader." Cas said with a smile and I had to shove my fist into my mouth to stop myself from bursting into laughter as the two of them walked out.

I spent the time talking to Rossi and Morgan and filling up on the parts that were missing. JJ caught the Croat and attacked Garcia, and Morgan's family died when Chicago was demolished right at the start. Other-Me knew where Dean was and brought everybody she could here, hoping to keep them safe.

Reunion wasn't happy, to make it short. Dean blamed nearly everything on me – starting with a flood in one of the camp areas and ending with the whole Apocalypse. At a certain point, we avoided each other except when we were on missions, where we were entirely formal.

Apparently, I managed to find comfort in Cas and we hit it off right where we stopped before I found out I was pregnant. Dean found out when he walked in on us one day, and the fight that followed was the worst the camp had ever seen, but he gave up when he realized he had no choice other than to do so.

Last year a couple of guys flipped on me about the not-dying thing. They targeted the remains of my family, attacking Rossi one afternoon when he was watching over Jack and Henry. They were surprised that the old man was stronger than he seemed, but still managed to get Jack and point a gun at his head.

"People called for you, and you were there in an instant, appearing from thin air." Rossi said. "You looked at me, I remember it because I was lying on the floor and a guy pointed a gun at me. Another held Jack, and the third was pointing his gun at you. You closed your eyes, concentrating, and the three of them just dropped dead. You made sure I was alright, and that Henry was safe. Then, you went to Cas' tent and said goodbye. When Dean arrived, he wanted to kick you out but you say he didn't need to. We hadn't seen you since."

It took a couple of hours, but at last I managed to get them to tell me about recent events. I was shocked when I found out what Future-Dean was doing. He managed to get a hold of the cult and was now trying to kill Lucifer.

"What?" I called out. "They're all going to die! We've got to stop them!"

"They know what they're doing." Rossi said.

"No, they don't." I said. "It's a suicide mission and everybody knows it. I… I gotta go."

"You can't." Morgan told me. "Our orders are to keep you here."

"Well, you'll have to shoot me for that." I said as I headed outside. "Will you?"

I arrived at the house where Lucifer was hiding just in time to see Satan, in Sam's form and dressed all in white, smashing Future-Dean's neck while my brother was watching. His halo wasn't like anything I had ever seen. Definitely bigger than Castiel's. Even bigger than Gabriel's.

"Oh." He said. "Hello, Dean. Diana. Aren't you a surprise?" He appeared behind us and Dean automatically pulled my back and away from him. Even after all this time, after everything I've done, he was still trying to protect me. "You've come a long way to see this, haven't you?"

"Well, go ahead." Dean said. "Kill me" He sent a glance at my direction. "Kill us."

"Kill you?" Lucifer asked, surprised. "Don't you think that would be a little… redundant?" He sighed. "I'm sorry. It must be painful speaking to me in this… shape. But it had to be your brother. It had to be." He tried to put a hand on Dean's shoulder but Dean stepped back, hiding me behind him. Lucifer looked at me. "You don't have to be afraid of me. What do you think I'm going to do?"

He walked past us and Dean turned again, making himself a barrier between the devil and me.

"I don't know." I said. "Deep-fry the planet?"

"Why?" Lucifer asked. "Why would I want to destroy this stunning thing? Beautiful in a trillion different ways, the last, _perfect_ handiwork of god." He looked between us. "You ever hear the story of how I fell from Grace?"

"Oh, good god." Dean said. "You're not gonna tell us a bedtime story, are you? My stomach's almost out of bile."

"Do you know why God cast me down?" Lucifer said, ignoring my twin's remark. "Because I loved him, more than anything. Then God created… you. The little Hairless apes. And then he asked all of us to bow down before you. To love you more than him. And I said, 'father, I can't.' I said, 'these human beings are flawed, murderous.' And for that God had Michael cast me into Hell. Now, tell me." He looked at me pointedly at that point. "Does the punishment fit the crime? Especially when I was right? Look at what six billion of you have done to this thing. And how many of you blame _me_ for it?"

"You're not fooling us." I said. "You know that? With this… sympathy-for-the-devil crap. I know what you are. I _studied_ you."

"Then tell me," Lucifer smiled, "what am I?"

"You're the same thing, only bigger." Dean said hoarsely. "The same brand of cockroach I've been squashing my whole life. An ugly, evil, belly-to-the-ground, supernatural piece of _crap_. The only difference between them and you." Dean mocked. "Is the size of your ego."

"I like you two." Lucifer said. "I get what the other angels see in you." He told me. "Goodbye. We'll meet again soon."

"You better kill me now!" Dean said.

"Pardon?" Lucifer asked.

"You better kill me now." Dean repeated. "Or I swear, I will find a way to kill you. And I won't stop."

"I know you won't." The devil said. "I know you won't say 'yes' to Michael, either. I know you will never choose me." He told me. "And I know you won't kill Sam. Whatever you do, you will always end up here." He marked at Future-Dean's dead body. "Whatever choices you make, whatever details you alter… we will always end up here. I _win_." He smiled. "So, I win."

"You're wrong." I said.

"See you in five years, Dean." Satan said. "See you in less, Diana."

Lightning flashed in the sky and Lucifer disappeared, causing Dean to turn back to me.

"Are you okay?" He asked. "Are you hurt?"

"Am _I_ okay?" I asked. "It's _your_ body lying there on the ground."

"Yeah, well, it's you with the pregnancy." Dean mumbled before his eyes lit up in anger. I turned to see Zachariah putting two fingers on his forehead and causing him to fall unconscious on the ground.

"What have you done?" I asked.

"Don't stress yourself." The angel said. "It's not healthy for the baby."

"Well, screw you." I said. "Now what have you done to him?"

"Nothing harmful." Zachariah said. "Just… altered a couple of details from his memory, you'll thank me for that later."

"Altered a few details?" I repeated.

"Deleted a few scenes, if you prefer." Zachariah said. "More precisely, deleting _you_. you were quite the surprise, you know?" He asked. "Dragged along with him. I'd send him back now but I think you and I should have a little chat first."

"Really?" I asked.

"Really." He said. "The Child of Creation, in all her magnificent glory." He mocked. "You don't get it, do you? You can stop it all. You can _end_ it all, before it begins. You can save everybody. Your team, your husband. I'm sure we can even reach an understanding about the little abomination in there."

I put a protective hand on my stomach. "You won't get to her." I said. "I won't let you hurt her."

"So join us." Zachariah said. "Join our side. Pick Michael over Lucifer. Yes, there's the whole 'being his queen' part, but we can work around it. I can bring your parents back. Your little high school lover. I can make Gideon come back, too, if you want him to. Paradise for all, at the price of your choice."

"At the price of millions of lives." I retorted. "You left this tiny fact out."

"Unimportant." Zachariah said.

"That's where you're wrong." I said. "Very important. 'Him who saves one soul, the Scripture considers him as if he should save a whole world.'" I quoted. "Ever heard of that?"

"Tractate Sanhedrin." Zachariah said. "I saw it being written."

"And you still don't understand, do you?" I asked. "I don't want paradise. I want _this_. This world, this earth as God created it. Flawed, murderous." I repeated what Lucifer said. "Imperfect but still beautiful. And that is why you would lose."

"Is that so?" He asked.

"You bet that." I said. Next to me, Dean started regaining consciousness.

"We really better get going." Zachariah said, looking at my brother as well. "It would be a pity to erase you from that little head _twice_."

"Why did you do that?" I asked.

"As much as you hate to believe it, you're not ready for the family reunion just yet." Zachariah told me. "And neither is he."

He put two fingers on Dean's forehead and I felt the odd pull again before I found myself standing back where I left, my cup of coffee in pieces on the ground as Garcia came rushing into the room.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah." I said. "Just… zoned out for a moment."

"Well, zone back in." She said. "We have a case to solve!"

"Yeah." I said. "The case. I… I'll clean here and join you, alright?"

"No problemo." She said. "Just don't take too long, will you? There's a psychopathic murder on the loose."

_More than one._ I thought to myself as I picked up the shattered cup from the floor and put it in the sink. _And some of them are more psychopathic than you think._

* * *

**So I kinda feel bad for deleting Dean's memory, but like Zachariah said - even if somewhat bluntly - he's not ready, and neither is she. It's still going to be a while before they'll have a meeting they will both remember...**


	19. TV Land

**No reviews again?**

**I gave you a cliffhanger! I gave you a wedding! I gave you Diana and Dean meeting each other! (So he doesn't remember it, but it still counts!) I gave you Diana/Cas moments and revealed the identity of the baby's father! I gave you Diana speaking Enochian and Diana being dragged to the future!**

**What do I need to do to make you review? Trap her in TV land?**

**Warning:**** Cursing (As can be anticipated from a woman giving birth with no painkillers whatsoever)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Criminal Minds.**

* * *

**"People love a happy ending.  
So every episode,  
I will explain once again that I don't like people.  
And then Mal will shoot someone.  
Someone we like. And their puppy."  
Joss Whedon**

I was sitting on my bed, bored to what seemed to be near-death and trying – more like _failing_ – to read one of the books Spencer gave me earlier today. Admitting my defeat, I sighed and put the book down next to me before rubbing my eyes.

My doctor, Dr. Connon, subjected me to bed rest at all times three days ago, hoping to prevent me from getting into pre-labors. This morning, my team had arrived to relieve some of my boredom and loneliness, but they left an hour ago, Daniel was at work and I was itching to leave the bed. The whole situation left me annoyed and cranky.

With the lack of anything better to do, I decided to spend the time practicing my skills. _Gabriel_ refused to break my doctor's orders, and said he had 'Business to attend to' – Probably something that involves pranking people to death.

I learned to deal with that part of him already. Despite his… _extreme_ measures, he only punished those who deserved it, and it was simply the type of things one needs to accept when they're friends with the Trickster.

For, despite any disagreements we might have had, Gabriel and I were friends.

I started focusing on illusions – not really changing the room but changing the way I perceived it. The pale blue walls changed color to the light purple I liked as a teenager. The big bed I was lying on shrunken itself. The closet disappeared and reappeared at the other side of the room.

Not a minute later, I was in what I saw as my old room at Bobby's house.

I kept it that way for a couple of minutes to improve my stamina before getting bored and dropping it all at once.

To my surprise, I found myself sitting in a hospital bed.

_What the hell…_ I thought, looking around me and testing for delusions.

No. This was most certainly not a creation of my mind. Something else was causing it.

I heard footsteps outside my door and silenced myself to hear what they were talking about.

"Doctor." I heard someone saying.

"Doctor." A voice that sounded an awful lot like Dean's replied.

"Doctor." The first voice said again.

"Doctor." Sam's voice said and I sighed.

_So wherever it is I'm in, it has something to do with my brothers._ I thought. _Why am I not surprised?_

"You want to give me one good reason why you defied my direct order to do the experimental face transplant on Mrs. Beale?" The first voice asked again.

"One reason?" Dean asked. "Sure." There was the sound of someone being thrown against the door of the room I was in. "You're not Dr. Sexy."

Dr. Sexy? As in the TV show, 'Dr. Sexy'?

"You're crazy." 'Dr. Sexy' said.

"Really?" Dean asked. "Cause I swore part of what makes Dr. Sexy sexy is the fact that he wears cowboy's boots. _Not_ tennis shoes."

"Yeah, you're not a fan." Sam said in a mocking voice.

"It's a guilty pleasure." Dean admitted.

"Call security." Dr. Sexy called out.

"Yeah, go ahead, pal." Dean told him. "See, we know what you are."

There was silence for a moment before another familiar voice spoke.

"You guys are getting better."

All of the annoyance, anger and desperation I felt during the past three days finally rose to the surface. "Gabriel, I'm going to _kill_ you." I mumbled.

"Get us the hell out of here." Dean said.

"Or what?" Gabriel mocked. "Don't see your wooden stakes, big guy." _Not that it would work anyway._

"That was you on the police scanner, right?" Sam asked. "This is a trick."

"_Hello_?" Gabe asked in a singsong voice. "Trickster? Come on!" He added. "I heard you two yahoos were in town. How could I resist?"

"Where the hell are we?" Dean grumped.

"You like it?" The archangel asked. "It's all homemade. My own sets." He knocked on the door to my room. "My own actors. Call it my own little idiot box."

"How do we get out?"

"That, my friend, is the 64 dollar question."

Seriously, I could _kill_ him sometimes.

"Whatever." Sam said. "We just… We need to talk to you. We need your help."

"Let me guess." Gabriel said mockingly. "You two muttonheads broke the world, and you want me to sweep up your mess?"

"Please." My younger brother plead. "Just five minutes. Hear us out."

"Gabe!" I called, getting tired of being left alone. "I'm gonna kill you for that one!"

"What was that?" Dean asked.

"Tell you what." Gabriel said, ignoring the both of us. "Survive the twenty-four next hours, we'll talk."

_Twenty-four hours? This can't be happening. This just _cannot_ be happening._

"Survive what?" Dean asked.

"The game." Gabe replied.

"What game?"

"You're in it."

"How do we play?"

"You're playing it."

Dean sighed. "What are the rules?"

"Are you gonna keep it for long?" I asked and suddenly, Gabe was standing in front of me.

From outside the door, Dean called out, "Son of a bitch!"

"Couldn't help yourself and wanted a taste of the fun?" Gabriel asked.

"All I wanted was a small line of side effects." I said, trying my hardest to control my temper. "You know, the usual things – ability to hear Enochian, mood swings, attached to my _friggin_ brother! So when Zach sent him to the future, I let it slide. But now, I'm in _TV Land_, eight months pregnant with my brothers _right outside the friggin door_!" I whispered angrily.

"They're not out the door anymore." He said. "They moved on about halfway through that lovely speech."

"Get me outta here." I said.

"No can do, honey." Gabriel said. "Your brothers have a lesson to learn."

"So you won't train me because my doctor told me to rest, but you're keeping me in…" I looked around. "What is it? TV land?"

"I can't get you out without getting Dean out," Gabriel explained, "and that's not gonna happen in the next twenty-our hours. Especially not since…" A gunshot was heard from down the hall. "Just in time."

"Gabe," I said, rubbing my temples, _again_, "what was that?"

"Nothing that should worry you in your situation." He told me.

"Which one of my brothers have you just_ shot_?"

"They'll be okay." He waved it off.

"Oh, great, thank you, _very_ relaxing!" I called out.

"Chill, it's not good for the baby." Gabriel said.

"Don't you dare tell me what's good for my baby." I growled. "I don't have twenty-four hours! I need to go home!"

"I promise I'll return you back to the moment you left." He tried to calm me down.

"Good." I said angrily. "Do it now."

"Twenty-four hours." He said. "See you later."

I found myself lying on a bed inside a cabin. Outside, it was raining, but inside the cabin, everything was warm and nice. Except for the fact that I was there, rather than at home.

The big television in front of me opened, and something that looked like an O.R. appeared on screen, Dean as the patient while Sam operated on him, using hunter methods for patching him up.

After they were done, the show changed to show this odd Japanese game show called, 'The Nutcracker' before the blue stadium doors opened up and I saw Castiel walking in.

"Cas?" Dean asked.

"Is this another trick?" Sam groaned.

"It's me." Cas said. "What are you doing here?"

"Us?" Dean asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you." Castiel told them. "You've been missing for days."

"Gabe I was missing for days, you're a dead man!" I called.

"Get us the hell out of here, then." Sam called.

"Let's go." Cas said, reaching out for my brothers before disappearing with a static noise.

"Cas?" Dean asked.

"No, no, no, no." The Japanese host said. "Mr. Trickster does not like pretty-boy angels."

The image on the screen disappeared to display a short message.

"For your pleasure?" I read out, confused. "Gabe, what the hell –"

I paused mid-sentence as the image reappeared, this time showing not my brothers, but Cas at the channel Gabriel sent him to. A _porn_ channel.

I reached out to the remote control and tried to change the channel back, but the device wouldn't let me. Sighing, I leaned back on the bed and tried to ignore the voices coming out of the TV as I murmured a mantra.

"I will kill you. I will kill you. I will kill you. You are _so_ dead."

* * *

The show Dean and Sam were now on was some lousy sitcom, and Cas just barged through the door.

"You okay?" Dean asked him.

"I don't have much time." He said. He looked almost as if the experience he had just gone through was traumatizing, which it most likely was.

"What happened?" Sam asked.

"I got out." Castiel said.

"From where?"

"Listen to me." Castiel said, purposely ignoring my twin's question. "Something is not right. This thing is much more powerful than it should be."

"What thing?" Dean questioned. "The Trickster?"

"If it _is_ a Trickster." Cas replied.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, but before Cas had the chance to reply, he was thrown backwards at the wall, causing the crowd to gasp.

"If you would please not _break_ the father of my baby!" I called, before pausing in shock.

It was the first time since 2014 I actually admitted Castiel was the baby's father, and most certainly, the first time I told somebody else about it.

Before I could overthink it, however, Gabriel walked into sight at the screen.

"Hello!" He called out happily. The screen showed Castiel on the floor, his mouth covered in duct-tape. "Thank you! Thank you. Stop." He turned to look at my ex-lover. "Hi, Castiel."

"You know him?" Sam asked as Gabe flicked his wrist and Castiel disappeared.

"Where did you just send him?" Dean asked.

"Relax." Gabriel said. "He'll live. I've got direct orders not to kill him. Well… kill, maim, break, causing permanent damage etc., etc."

"I'm done with the monkey dance, okay?" Dean asked. "We get it."

"Yeah?" Gabriel asked. "Get what, hotshot?"

"Playing our roles, right?" He called angrily. "That's your game?"

"That's half the game." Gabriel replied.

"What's the other half?" Sam questioned.

"Play your roles _out there_."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dean asked.

"You know," Gabriel shrugged, "Sam, starring as Lucifer. Dean, starring as Michael. Your celebrity death match. Play your roles."

I rolled my eyes at the screen just as the cabin door opened to reveal an exhausted looking Castiel who looked like he was just running away from something. Every ability I had to focus on the conversation between my teacher and my brothers disappeared that moment.

"Oh, you owe me _so_ bad for that one." I muttered at Gabriel, though uncertain if he could even hear me.

"Diana?" Cas asked.

"Hey." I said warily.

Last time I saw him, I was with Dean at the future… and we were having sex. Multiple rounds of it, really. Cas was human, he knew the truth about the baby – he probably knew the truth now, too, and was simply hiding it.

"What are you doing here?" Castiel asked me. "Gabriel said he was taking care of you."

"He is." I said. "My own private pregnancy supervision in TV Land, of all places."

"What…" He looked confused. "How…"

"I don't entirely know, either." I admitted. "But I'm safe. That's all that matters."

Castiel looked at me. "I've missed you." He said. "I hadn't seen you since…"

"Since the wedding." I said coldly. "You know, the one in which I married _Daniel_? Nothing can happen between us, Cas."

"I know, and I would have never asked anything like that from you." Cas said. "But it doesn't mean I don't miss you."

This was all too much. All of this, the whole situation, it just hurt too much.

I loved Cas too much – I loved him more than I could afford myself to.

"You're only making it harder for the both of us." I whispered.

"Why?"

"Why?" I repeated. "Because I'm _married_!"

"Do you love me?" Castiel questioned.

"Cas…" I sighed.

"I love you." He said. "Can you look me in the eye and tell me you don't love me? Look me in the eye and tell me what we had meant nothing."

I opened my mouth to speak, to say the words, but nothing came out. Of course what we had meant something! I didn't know what something _was_, but it was still there. Despite everything I told Chuck, Gabriel and myself time after time, it was definitely more than just sex.

Castiel looked at me as he approached the bed and sat next to me, holding my face in his palm.

_Where did all this confident came from? _I wondered. I could only guess.

The angel looked into my eyes and leaned in to kiss me, and I knew I only had less than a moment to make my decision. My heart broke in my chest as I finally formed the words.

"You shall not commit adultery."

Cas paused, his lips inches away from mine. "What?"

"Exodus 20, 14." I whispered. "'You shall not commit adultery.' It's right there, between _murder_ and _steal_."

Castiel backed away, hurt visible in his eyes. He sat on the chair next to the door and I rested my head against the pillow once again. I grimaced as the baby kicked and took deep breaths to calm myself before the whole place was shaking.

Looking at the television, I saw my brothers had trapped Gabe in a circle of holy oil, and that the three of them were now at a warehouse. I watched the exchange between them, only half-sorry for the bad words Dean was telling my friend and ignoring the occasional kick from the baby.

At a certain point, Dean told Gabriel to bring Cas back and as he disappeared, I felt the strongest kick so far, causing me to look down at the sheet and notice the wetness of it.

My water broke.

* * *

"Gabe!" I screamed a couple of minutes later, half of anger and half of pain as another contraction hit me. "I know you can hear me and I swear to everything I hold dear, if you don't get me outta here soon I will skin you alive!"

"You need to let me out." I heard the familiar voice saying from the TV screen next to me. "There's an angry woman who needs to get out of here, now."

"Bring her here." Dean ordered.

"Don't you _dare_!" I growled and I could see Gabriel shifting uncomfortably in his place.

"No can do, fellas." He replied. "She'll kill me."

"Well, I guess you're a dead man, then." Sam said, and my brothers started walking away.

"Gabe, I will use every single power you taught me how to use to make you _suffer_!"

"She's in labor!" Gabriel called and Castiel stopped in his tracks. "She's just some girl who got trapped in the crossfire and she's in labor right now."

"Just some girl?" Sam questioned.

Gabriel looked at Cas pointedly when he replied. "A friend."

"What is she doing here, then?"

"Gabriel, bring me to Daniel, NOW!" I called in anger.

"Listen, guys, she's screaming at me right now." He looked between them. "Now I get that you don't like me, but she didn't do anything wrong and I need to get her back to her husband and friends."

"Dean," Cas started, "I think we should do as he says. This... girl has done no harm."

"Fine." Dean said. "But only 'cause we don't screw with people the way you do. And for the record? This isn't about some prized fight between your brothers or some destiny that can't be stopped. This is about _you_ being too afraid to stand up to your family." He walked aside and activated the fire alarm, making the sprinklers go off and wash away the Holy Fire.

"Thank you." Gabriel muttered, hopefully intending to come to me now but my brother's voice delayed him.

"This isn't for you." Dean said. "This is for the poor chick who really needs a lesson at how to pick her friends."

"You have no idea." I muttered and before I knew what's going on, Gabriel was next to me, grabbing my arm and bringing us back to my house.

"What's going on?" I could hear Daniel's voice asking. "She's supposed to be at bed rest!"

"I'm so sorry." Gabriel told him.

"What did you do?" Daniel yelled but I cut them off before they could say another word.

"You can fight and be all macho later!" I called. "Right now I need you to bring me to the hospital!"

"What?" Daniel asked, confused.

"You heard the woman." Gabriel told him, taking the car keys and throwing them at my confused husband. "The baby's coming!"

* * *

Five hours later and you could find my room at the Maternity Ward like a train station. People were coming in and out all the time, partly because I kept sending them away and partly because nobody could stand being in the same room with me for more than fifteen minutes.

I think it was the curses.

"Son of a BITCH!" I screamed out in pain. "Fucking fucking _fuck_, that hurts!"

The contraction passed and I leaned back on the bed, panting.

"You know," Rossi said, amused, "I'd think someone who spent four months spending every moment of sleep in Hell would have a higher pain tolerance."

"You know what's the different?" I asked poisonously. "I had friggin drugs to help with the - Aaargh!" I yelled again as another wave of pain flashed through me. "Where the hell is Bobby?" I asked.

"On his way." Rossi replied.

"He better be." I threatened. "If he misses my child's birth I will take out his – _mother-fucking-bitch_." I gritted my teeth. "They're closer now." I said. "Where's Daniel?"

"You kicked him out twenty minutes ago."

"Bring him back." I ordered and Rossi stood up. "And somebody get me Bobby!"

I looked out of the window in the room I was at and sat up straight. Could that be...

"Are you okay?" I heard Daniel's voice asking from behind me and came back to my senses.

"Contractions." I said shortly, leaning back in my bed and telling myself I was imagining it.

Even Cas wasn't stupid enough to show up _now_.

As I relaxed, I realized Dr. Connon was in the room, too.

"Please tell me we're getting somewhere." Daniel said and she smiled.

"Five fingers' entry." She said. "The baby's coming."

"No." I grunted, shaking my head. "He can't be coming, Bobby's not here yet."

"Call a nurse and prepare for the birth." I heard Dr. Connon say.

"No - I will kill the son of a bitch." I cursed, not sure myself if I was talking about Bobby, who needs to be here, or Cas who knocked me up.

_No._ I told myself. _Not a good thought when Daniel's right next to me._

"Did somebody get a hold of Bobby?" Daniel called.

"He's ten minutes away." Rossi replied.

"If I were him, I'd make that five." Spencer muttered.

"Diana," Dr. Connon said, "at the count of three, I need you to push as hard ad you can."

"Somebody bring me Bobby!" I cried.

"One."

"I will kill that old man someday." Rossi muttered.

"Two."

"Somebody go get him!" Daniel called.

"Three. Push!"

I pushed with all of my power, panting and crying when I was told to stop. I buried my head in the pillow, pressing Daniel's fingers tight when I heard the only voice I wanted to hear during the past day.

"I'm here, Peanut." Bobby said and I sighed with relief as Daniel's hand fell out of my reach and changed to Bobby's.

"Who are you?" Dr. Connon asked with surprise.

"He's my dad." I said weakly. "Please don't make him go away."

"Okay." She said. "Baby's dad and grandfather can stay. Everybody else out." She turned her attention back to me. "Again, Diana. One. Two. Three. Push!"

I pushed harder this time, screaming and cursing and squeezing Bobby's hand so tight that if it were anybody but him, I'd fear that it might fall off. But it was him, and everything was good.

It took another ten minutes before the head was out, and then with one strong push that hurt more than I'd ever imagined it would, the baby was out.

"Is the baby okay?" I asked, remembering suddenly that I had three more weeks to the pregnancy. "Please somebody tell me the baby's okay."

"She's just fine." Dr. Connor said when the baby started crying.

"She?" Daniel questioned.

"Yeah, she." Dr. Connor replied. "It's a beautiful baby girl."

She passed it to Daniel to hold and he put her in my arms as I finally let go of Bobby's hand.

"Do you have a name for her?" Bobby asked us.

We hadn't thought of a name before, not wanting to jinx it with our bad luck, but as I saw the fragile little creature in my hands, I knew exactly what we should name her.

"Jennifer, after your mother." I told Daniel. "And Mary, after mine. Jennifer Mary McCourt."

"That's the name of someone that was destined for good things." Daniel whispered from next to me.

"It is, isn't it?" Bobby asked, before he turned around and saw Gabriel standing in the entrance of the room with my team. "What are you doing here?" He growled.

"He's a friend, Bobby." I said. "He helped Daniel bring me here when the labors started."

"And let me guess," Bobby said, "he was the reason you were in pre-labors to begin with."

"Please try not to rip his throat out, Bobby." I said softly. "If I'm not mad at him, neither should you be."

Bobby growled again in response, but submitted to my request of making temporary peace with the archangel.

And as I looked outside the window, I saw an entirely different angel staring back at me, before looking at the baby in my arms longingly.

* * *

**The quote broke my heart a little.**

**Just to be clear – Despite how much I ****_love_**** Gabriel, I'm in no way supporting trapping people in TV land.**

**Now that we've got this covered, can you please review? ****_Please?_**


	20. The Real Ghostbusters

**A/N:**** I'm so sorry for not updating yesterday, I planned to but I had an essay to hand over today… I thought it would take me about half an hour to do it – it took nearly five.**

**Thank you for all the lovely reviews, sorry for being grumpy last chapter and I hope you would enjoy this one, even if it's not very long.**

**I don't know if you remember, but a couple of chapters ago I told you that if any of you wanted me to write a chapter based on an episode, just ask. So, somebody asked, I don't know who because it was a guest review, but whoever you are – this is for you.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Criminal Minds.**

* * *

**We're stuck between a rock  
And a hard place.  
Between a rock and a hard place.  
Rolling Stones, ****_Rock and a Hard Place_**

_"How far away are we?" Sam asked, looking at Dean who sat, as usual, in the driver's seat._

_"About five more hours." Dean said._

_"Make it four." My younger brother told him. "The message said, 'A matter of life and death'."_

_"Okay." Dean said, looking at the empty, dark road and increasing the speed._

_They sat in silence for a couple more minutes before Sam spoke again._

_"What's going on?" He asked._

_"I don't know." My twin replied. "The text message wasn't very clear."_

_"Not that." Sam told him. "With you. What's going on with you? It's been a month since TV land and you've been acting strange ever since."_

_"No, I haven't." Dean tried to brush it off._

_"Uh, yes, you have." Sam told him. "Come on, talk to me. What is it?"_

_"It's just…" Dean sighed. "There was someone at Chuck's house when Castiel blew apart."_

_"But Cas is fine." Sam said, not understanding._

_"But there was someone else _there_." Dean said. "Some chick was there. And there was someone else at TV land, another woman. And I have big chunks of my memory missing from the time I spent at 2014."_

_"And you think this is all connecting?" Sam questioned._

_"I know it does." Dean replied. "It's all connecting to the same person and… We've got to find 'em, Sammy."_

_"It may not be so easy." Sam said._

_"Since when are things easy for us?" Dean asked. "But we've got to do this, Sam. This girl, she might help us."_

_"You need to remember she's friends with Gabriel." Sam reminded him. "She might just want us to take our roles."_

_"And she might not." Dean countered._

_"She might not even care."_

_"It's the friggin' Apocalypse." Dean retorted. "Of course she cares. She has a husband, a kid, and friends. She doesn't want them all to die."_

_"I'm just saying, Dean." Sam sighed. "She might not be on our side here."_

* * *

"Welcome to the first annual 'Supernatural' convention!"

Garcia, Spencer and I were sitting in the middle of a room full of 'Supernatural' fans as the convention enrolled. I wanted to bang my head at the wall ever since we walked through the door and an annoying woman asked me why we weren't wearing a costume.

I nearly threw something at her head, but luckily for her, Chuck arrived and told her that we're his personal guest and that even if we weren't, costumes are only a suggestion.

"Remind me why am I even here?" I mumbled.

"Because it's my birthday." Spencer said.

"You have Garcia." I sighed.

"_I'm_ the one who helped Chuck republish." Garcia said. "_You're_ here for our G-Man."

"I hate you both."

"At 3:45 in the magnolia room, we have the panel 'Frightened little boy: the secret life of Dean'." The host said.

"Is he serious?" I asked.

"At 4:30, There's the homoerotic subtext of 'Supernatural'."

"I'm gonna be sick." I said, shaking my head.

"At 5:30 we have 'Diana Winchester: is she real?'"

"We're going to this one." Garcia informed me.

"I can tell you right now I'm real." I told her.

"Oh, and, of course, the big hunt starts at 7:00 p.m. sharp." I looked at my friends disbelievingly. "Woo! Okay, but… but right now… Right now, I'd like to introduce the man himself. The creator and the writer of the 'Supernatural' books, the one, the only Carver Edlund!"

With hasty, uncertain steps, Chuck stepped on the podium and looked at the eagerly clapping crowd. "Okay, good." He managed after a few stuttering attempts. "This isn't nearly as awkward as I… it's a little…" He coughed. "Dry mouth. Okay, so, I guess… Questions?" Nearly the entire crowd raised his hands and I sighed. "Um, you?" He asked, pointing at a guy who sat two seats to my left.

"Hey, Mr. Edlund." The guy said eagerly, standing up. "Uh, big fan. Wow. Okay. I was just wondering, where'd you come up with Sam and Dean in the first place?"

"Oh." Chuck said, surprised. "Uh, I, uh… It just came to me." He said non-committedly. The crowd raised their hands once again and Chuck looked between them. "Okay, yeah, the hook man."

"Yeah." Said a man with a fake hook connected to his hand. "Why in every fight scene, Sam and Dean are having their gun or knife knocked away by the bad guy? Why don't they keep it on some kind of bungee?"

"_Please_ tell me he's joking." I muttered as Spence and Penelope shushed me.

Chuck seemed a bit taken aback by the question as well. "Yeah, I… I… I really don't know."

"Yeah, follow-up." Hook guy said. "Why can't Sam and Dean be telling that Ruby is evil? I mean, she is clearly manipulating Sam into some kind of moral lapse. It's obvious, nein?"

"Hey!" The girl from earlier – Becky – rushed forward angrily. "If you don't like the books, don't read 'em, Fritz!"

"Okay, okay." Chuck said in a clear attempt to calm her down. "Just… okay. It's okay. So… so, next question. Y-yeah, you."

"Yeah, at the end of the last book, Dean goes to Hell." The fan said. "So, what happens next?"

"Oh, w-well, there lies an announcement, a-actually." Chuck said, looking worryingly at the back row. I followed his glance to see no other than the _real_ Dean and Sam standing there.

"Oh, fuck." I said.

"You're all gonna find out." Chuck said. "Thanks to a wealthy Scandinavian investor, we're gonna start publishing again."

The whole crowd stood up, clapping and cheering at the announcement while I rubbed my temples annoyingly.

"Garcia, I'm already starting to regret this."

* * *

We were just out of the debate on whether or not I existed – general consensus was 'No', by the way – and Spencer was just trying to convince me to join him on the ghost hunt role-playing. Needless to say, I wasn't really in the mood for that.

"No." I said. "You can force me into coming here, you can take me away from my baby for the weekend, and you can start republishing books about my brothers' lives, _while they're in the building_. But I will not LARP about it."

"Please!" Spencer said, his puppy eyes setting into attack on me.

"I grew up with Sam." I told him. "At a certain point you develop an immunity to puppy eyes. Not gonna happen."

"But it's my birthday!"

"And I will make it up to you." I said. "Something else, _anything_ else. _Not_ ghost-hunting."

"Fine." Spencer grumped. "What did you think about the panel?"

"The one in which they discussed whether or not I'm real?" I asked. "Not my favorite."

"Can you at least _pretend_ to be having a good time?" Garcia asked me. "It is his birthday."

"Okay, birthday boy." I said, forcing a smile on my face. "One Yellow-Eyes Cocktail on me."

"We're not supposed to be drinking." He reminded me.

"Fine." I sighed. "One _alcohol-free_ Yellow-Eyes Cocktail on me. Deal?"

"Deal." Spencer said. "But you better pile them up."

"Oh, trust me." I said. "I will."

We to the bar and ordered our drinks while Garcia went to catch a booth for the three of us. As we walked back to her, I saw two extremely familiar figures talking to her and caught Spencer's sleeve.

"Come carefully." I said.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"_We're_ going to eavesdrop." I told him, dragging him to another booth not far away, but still far enough so we won't be seen.

"Chuck told you." We heard Garcia state, rather than ask. "The guy has an archangel on his shoulder and he's still scared of you two."

"Wait," Sam said, "you know?"

"You bet your pretty little face I know." She told him. "And I _also_ know, without talking to him, that you whined all about it. Don't you understand that's what he does for a living? He could barely pay the rent the last couple of months."

"Well, we –" Dean started but Garcia cut him off.

"If you'd get your heads outta your asses, you'd see how much he needs it." She said. "And not just him."

"Listen, lady, I don't really care about the fans." Dean said.

"Did you think I was talking about the fans?" She asked him. "Buddy, I've got enough on my plate even without worrying about them."

"So what were you talking about?" Sam asked.

"You know, you're a lot smarter in the books." Sam seemed a bit taken aback by that. "Chuck needs it. He hadn't stopped writing, not for a second. And it's all very nice to use when _you_ need information, but not when _he_ needs money? Shame on you!"

"I didn't –"

"And I bet you're gonna threaten him, too, aren't you?" She asked them. "Just like you were trying to do to me. That's just the attitude that got you on the FBI top wanted list."

"How do you know about that?" Dean asked.

"Well, first of all, it's in the books!" She told him. "And secondly," she looked at him with her most frightening 'Garcia Stare', "you're lucky I'm not arresting you on the spot."

"Wait, are you a –"

"For the last time, I'm not making this up, okay?" Someone called, causing the five of us to look his direction. "She… she's upstairs. A real, live, dead ghost!"

"Excuse me." Dean said, flashing Garcia a smile and walking up to the guy.

To my surprise and annoyance, Garcia followed him.

"Look, I'm sure it was just one of the actors." The guy's friend said.

"Who beat the crap out of me and then vanished?" The guy asked.

"You saw something?" Sam asked.

"Look, this isn't part of the game, Jerk." He said, before turning back to his friend. "Tim, I'm getting out of here, and you should do the same."

"Alex, wait!" Tim called, and the both of them ran outside.

"What do you think?" Sam asked.

"I don't think that guy's a good enough actor to be acting." Garcia piped up.

My brothers looked at each other and sighed.

* * *

"I can't believe Garcia's going up with them to the attic." I said in disbelief.

"I can't believe you wouldn't let me join." Spencer said.

"Do I need to remind you that they already saw you, and will probably recognize you?" I asked. "Besides, this isn't LARPing. There's a real ghost here."

"I know." Spencer smiled. "Hey, how about –"

"I'm not taking you out on a hunt for your birthday." I said.

"You're no fun." He said, walking away from me with a frown.

"Are you friggin' kidding me?" I mumbled, walking to the bar. "Yellow-Eyes Cocktail." I told the bartender.

"Make that alcohol free." I heard Chuck saying from next to me and sighed.

"I hate you." I said. "Not just for the cocktail – why didn't you tell me my brothers were coming?"

"I didn't know!" He protested.

"You're a Prophet!" I said.

"Well, didn't you see Sam and Dean talking about it last night?" He questioned. "They said they drove all night because Becky's message said, 'A matter of life and death'."

"They talked about hurrying somewhere." I admitted. "I was assuming it was… you know… Apocalypse thing."

"Which reminds me, how was 2014?" He asked.

"If we're going to talk about it, I'm gonna need a _real_ drink." I told him.

"Don't worry, I wrote the book like what happened was what Zachariah planted in Dean's head." He said.

"Good." I said. "The last thing I need is for them to know I was there."

"Lying isn't going to make it better, you know." Chuck mused.

"Well, the truth isn't going to, either." I said, downing the rest of my drink in one go. "Man, I wish it was a real drink."

"You're really focused on the whole 'real drinks' thing, aren't you?"

"You would be, too." I told him. "Oh, by the way, this place is _really_ hunted. Good job."

I stood up and looked around, seeing Spencer standing not far from where I was and talking to Becky.

"Hey, Spence, can I have you for a moment?" I asked.

"We are in the _middle_ of a _conversation_!" Becky called, annoyed.

"Hey, Becky, it's okay." Spencer said. "I'll be right back." She sighed, annoyed, and walked away. "What is it?" Spencer asked.

"Listen, I can't… I can't do it anymore, okay?" I asked. "With Dean and Sam being here, and a _real ghost_, I just… I want to go home, see Jenna and Daniel. But it is your birthday and I don't want to mess it up for you. So how about you stay here with Garcia, enjoy the convention, I will go home and next week I will take you to Moondoor?"

Spencer's eyes lit with excitement. "The LARP, Moondoor?" He asked.

"You know it is." I smiled.

"Deal." He said. "But we're gonna be Shadow Orcs."

"Of course we are." I mumbled. "I'm gonna head out now, I'll keep in touch."

"Okay, have fun." Spencer said. "I need to go back to Becky before she kills me or something."

"Yeah, she's not the most stable person in the building." I laughed as I walked out and started Darlin'.

Thank goodness I thought about bringing her and letting Reid and Garcia drive their own car.

I hit the road immediately, ignoring the late hour as I drove by towns and cities. About two hours after I drove away, my phone started ringing. I answered through my ear-piece, immediately starting to explain myself to Garcia.

"Listen, Penny, I already talked to Spence and he knows -"

"Dee?" The wrong voice spoke.

"No." I replied, just a second too quickly and Dean sighed.

"I know it's you." He said. "I took the number from Chuck's phone."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said.

"Please, give me some credit here, okay?" He asked. "It's the first time we speak in 12 years, I know I've got the right number."

I sighed, but kept my eyes fixated on the road.

"Okay." I said. "We've established that I'm, well, me. Now what?"

"I just wanted to speak to you." Dean said.

"About what?" I questioned.

"About everything." He said. "How are you doing? How's life?"

"Life's fine." I said. "Has its ups and downs."

"How are you dealing with the whole..."

"Apocalypse?" I asked. "I'm fine."

"Good, good." He said. "Yeah, that's... that's good." He sighed. "You know that if there's something you need, anything... you can call. You know that, right?"

"I'm not sure." I said. "I don't think that would be a good idea. You're..."

"I know." Dean said. "We're a magnet to supernatural creatures and you're out. I know."

_You're probably not my biggest fan at the moment._ I completed the sentence in my head but went on as if he said just what I was thinking.

"Thank you anyway." I told him. "For offering."

"Any time, sis." He replied.

"What made you call me?" The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them.

"An advice some girl gave me." He said. "She told me I need to start getting my head outta my ass."

I laughed sadly at that. Typical Garcia.

"I gotta go, there's this..." He laughed bitterly. "You'd never believe if I told you. Be safe."

"You, too." I whispered as the call disconnected and tears started streaming down my face.

* * *

"Hey, baby." I told my daughter as I picked her up.

As soon as I got home, I threw my bag on the floor and ran to see Jennifer. In the last month, I barely spent any time away from her, so even the thought of going away for the weekend put me on automated 'anti-mode'.

Now, when I held her in my arm and I was relaxed again, I started regretting the way I treated Reid and Garcia. I was definitely overreacting.

I talked to Garcia on the phone about an hour before I got home. She just couldn't stop telling me everything she has gone through.

"So, you know, Miss Gore, the ghost who killed the kids, apparently she only killed them because they killed her son! So when we burned the bones – icky process, by the way – there was nobody to control the kids. So we just had to lock everybody at the main room until we cleared it out. It was really cool, but I don't think I could do it on a daily basis. I mean, do you know how the inside of a grave looks like?"

"Yes." I said, smiling. "At a matter of fact, I do."

"Oh, shush." She said, but I could hear the smiled in her voice. "So we cleared that, and now Becky and Chuck are dating –"

"Good for him." I said.

"Good for Sam." Garcia replied. "The psycho finally left him alone. But they're still not the biggest fan of republishing. Wouldn't say anything, of course, I think I scared them."

"Thank you for doing this." I said. "Helping Chuck republish, understanding why I couldn't stay."

"Don't mention it." She brushed it off. "That's what friends are for. By the way, a little birdie told me you got a very special call last night."

"I did." I said. "Dean called."

"How was it?"

"Sad, mainly." I said, wiping away the tears that already started reforming. "All I want to do is get home and cuddle Jenna."

And that's exactly what I did.

I held her in my arms, laughed with her, kissed her. We stayed that way until Daniel came back home and joined us, kissing me but not asking why I decided to come early.

I leaned my head against his chest while I was holding the baby in my arms, and he put his arm around me in a protective embrace as I slowly drifted to sleep.


	21. I'm Coming Home

**A/N:**** So this chapter was planned... right from the beginning. Don't hate me.**

**I was actually really excited to write this one, and I have plansfor the next four of five chapters - the next one is already written and will be uploaded this Sunday.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Criminal Minds.**

* * *

**"All of us have moments in our lives that test our courage."  
Erma Bombeck**

_"Really?" Dean asked. "Anna? I don't believe it."_

_"It's true." Cas said. He had just finished explaining to them that Anna wants to kill Sam, leaving Lucifer with no real vessel._

_"So, the – the plan to kill me," Sam said. "Would it actually stop Satan?_

_"No, Sam, come on." Dean said angrily._

_"Cas," Sam said, ignoring my brother, "what do you think? Does Anna have a point?"_

_"No." Cas said after a small hesitation. "Of course not."_

_"I don't get it." Dean said. "We're looking for the chick that wants to kill Sam? Why poke the bear?"_

_"Anna will keep trying." Castiel said. "She won't give up until Sam is dead." He sighed sadly. "So we kill her first."_

_He turned to the bowl on the table and started talking._

**_"In the power of Heaven, by the force of Almighty-God, I command you, Anna – Reveal yourself!"_**

_Dean and Sam exchanged confused looks and it took me a second to understand Castiel was speaking Enochian as he stumbled back._

_"I found her." He muttered._

_"Where is she?" Dean asked._

_"Not where." Cas looked at them. "When. It's 1978."_

_"What?" Sam asked in surprise, jumping off the motel room bed. "Why 1978? I wasn't even born yet."_

_"You won't be if she kills your parents." Castiel said._

_"_What_?"_

_"Anna can't get to you because of me." Cas explained. "So she's going after them."_

_"Take us back right now." Dean ordered._

_"And deliver you right to Anna?" He asked. "I should go alone."_

_"They're our parents, Cas." Dean said. "We're going."_

_Cas sighed. "It's not that easy." He said._

_"Why not?" Sam questioned._

_"Time travel was difficult even with the powers of heaven at my disposal." He explained._

_"But you're cut off." Dean sighed._

_"I may have an idea." Castiel said, pulling a face. "But she will not be glad about it."_

_"She?" Dean repeated, confused._

_"She made it very clear the previous time we me, that she does not want to see me or hear from me ever again." He looked at my brothers. "I will try, but I cannot guarantee she will help."_

"I was _so_ hoping you weren't talking about me." I mumbled into the phone as I pushed myself out of the bed. "It's okay," I whispered to Daniel, rubbing my sore eyes, "go back to sleep, honey. Can they hear me?" I addressed Castiel again.

"No." He replied.

"Good." I said. "Let's keep it that way. What we need to think is how we're gonna pull it without them knowing it's me."

"You'll help us?" Cas asked, surprised.

"If Anna kills my parents, I won't be born either, will I?" I asked. "I'm helping. How?"

"I can only move one of them with me," Cas said, "and even that would be difficult."

"I've only started working on time travel a couple of weeks ago." I said. "I've gotten pretty good at going back, but I don't know how to return to the present."

"We'll handle it when he time comes." Castiel replied.

"You'll handle it." I said. "I can't come with you, Cas. I told you, I've picked this life. You're not gonna pull me back again."

"Fine." He sighed. "What should I do?"

"Make sure they're unconscious, and then take Sam. I'll bring Dean and call Gabe to help me get back."

"Are you sure Gabriel will reply?" He asked.

"He owes me one." I said. "We're sort of playing catch on that one, I suppose I'll owe him one later but never mind that." I sighed. "I'll be there in ten minutes."

I hung up the phone and got dressed, pausing outside Jennifer's room on my way out.

"Where are you going?" I heard Daniel call from behind me. "Come back to bed."

"Thirty minutes." I said. "I just need to run some errands."

"What errands do you have at -" he looked at the clock. "- one thirty am?"

"An angel is trying to kill my parents before I was born." I said. "Thirty minutes. I promise." I called and ran outside.

From behind me, I could hear him mutters, "I never fall for the simple ones, do I?"

"Gabe!" I called in my yard. "Gabriel!"

"No need to scream, hon." The Angel said. "What do you need?"

"I'm gonna send Dean to 1978." I said. "Anna's after my parents. I need you to take me back once I get there."

"Sure thing." He replied, pulling a lollypop and putting it in his mouth. "But you're gonna owe me one for disturbing my beauty sleep."

"Why do you keep trying? It's not helping anyway." I said, half a smile on my face as I looked at him. "Will you help me?"

"Do I have a choice?" He asked.

"Not really." I smiled. "I'm going to go now. Give me five minutes and then come."

"At your command, milady." He said with a mock-bow. "I do hope you know what are you doing."

* * *

I didn't.

As soon as we reached the past, Castiel dropped on the floor, the effort too much for him to bear.

"Cas." I said, shaking the unconscious Angel in front of me. "Come on, Cas. Wake up. You can't die." I said desperately when he still didn't wake. "I know what I said but you don't get to die on me."

"Hey!" Someone called. "What are you doing?"

I disappeared at the sound, causing Dean to look around, confused.

"Where did she go to?" He asked, looking at Sam.

"I have no idea." Sam replied.

"You'll have to excuse her." Gabriel said, materializing in front of us. "She's very shy. I would appreciate it if you won't try to kill me." He added, seeing the look on my brothers' faces and the way Dean's hand rested on his belt even though he knew guns can't kill the Trickster. _Angel._

"What are you doing here?" Sam growled.

"Well, she needed help getting home." Gabriel said as if it was the most rational thing in the world.

"Why are you helping her?" Sam asked.

"I do owe her one." Gabriel said.

Dean laughed humorlessly. "What did she do for you to owe her one?" He asked.

"It's more what I did."

"Which was?" Dean urged.

"I may have, _accidently_, trapped her in TV land when she was in eighth month." Gabriel said. "Which caused early labors, which caused you getting her out. So she owes you one," he explained, "and I owe her one."

I looked at Gabriel, amazed. _You can count on a trickster to tell a lie using so much of the truth while at it._

"That was her?" Sam asked and Gabe nodded. "Still doesn't explain why you're here."

"I told you." Gabriel said impatiently. "She needed help getting home. Which reminds me," he added, turning to look at me, "you're stuck."

"Stuck?" I repeated. "What do you mean stuck?"

"You brought Dean-o here." He said. "You're connected to him. I believe you're familiar with it."

_So he's talking about 2014._ I thought. _I couldn't get home until Dean was sent home._

"That's just great." I mumbled. "Well, if I'm here, I might as well help."

"You what?" He asked.

"What is she doing?" Dean asked and I turned to look at my brothers.

They couldn't see me, or hear me, but they could still hear Gabriel's part of the conversation.

"I'm trying to understand that, too." Gabriel told my twin. "Now, if you please be quiet." He turned back to me. "Why the hell would you do that?"

"It's my life on the line, too." I said.

"How would you help if you won't even let them see you?" He asked.

"I think I know what today's lesson is about." I said. "Telepathy."

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "You're being stupid, irrational and reckless." He said. "It will be much easier if you just let them see you."

"Not gonna happen." I said harshly and he sighed.

"Fine. I give up." He looked between my brothers and me. "Apparently today's lesson is _telepathy_."

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Sam asked.

"Baby doll here decided to help you." Gabriel explained.

"Baby doll?" I asked, annoyed.

"She can hear you, but you can't hear her. Communication," he added, "is all about focus. Just think about the person you want to talk to and think of what you want to say."

I looked at him and focused on a single sentence. _Stop being an ass._

"You got it." He said. "Natural talent. Note taken, by the way. Now try it with one of them."

I looked at my younger brother and passed a word along. _Hello, Sam._

"Wow, I think I heard it, too." Dean said.

"Like I said." Gabriel smiled. "Natural talent. I'll be back in a couple of days to pick you up." He told me. "I genuinely hope you'll be done by then."

I neared him and gave him a hug, which he returned gleefully.

"That's so weird." Dean mumbled. "It's like you're hugging air."

_Shut up._ I sent his way and he was so shocked he actually obliged.

"Until the next time." Gabriel said with a smile, vanishing into nothingness yet again.

"Well, where to now?" Dean asked.

"We need to put Cas somewhere safe." Sam said. "A motel or something."

"Okay." Dean said, glancing at about a foot left of where I actually was. "Let's go, baby doll."

* * *

We paid Castiel for five nights at the Honeymoon Suite. Well, Dean paid, technically, but I was the one to actually help Cas get there.

"Be safe." I whispered, kissing his cheek before we left the room.

Dean and Sam decided we needed to go to Mom and Dad's house, but the problem remained – the didn't know where it was.

_485 Robin Tree Street._ I told them.

"You are aware to how freakishly weird this is, aren't you?" Sam asked.

_Trust me, I'd be home right now if I could._ I sent through his mind bitterly.

"Well, then." Dean said. "Let's go pop in on the folks."

We looked at the house, awe and fear filling my every being. Last time I was here… it was the Cornell case, two years ago. The last time I was in that house, I was kidnapped, drugged and raped.

I looked at my brothers. The last time they were in this house, they fought a ghost and saw Mom's ghost – and now we're going to see her alive.

"Sam." Dean called as our younger brother stepped towards the house. "Wait, wait."

"Dean, Anna could be here any second." Sam said.

"What exactly are we gonna tell 'em?" Dean questioned.

"The truth." Sam said.

"What, that their sons are back from the future with an invisible chick to save them from an angel gone 'terminator'?" Dean questioned.

_Those movies haven't even come out yet._ I said, causing him to send a dirty look my way.

"Well, then tell her demons are after them." Sam said. "I mean, she thinks you're a hunter, right?"

"Yeah, a hunter who disappeared right when her dad died." Dean said.

_She's gonna _love_ you._

"Shut up." Dean told me. "Just follow my lead." He told Sam, walking up to the house.

Sam seemed thunder shocked so I grabbed his hand in mine and led him towards the door, where Dean already rang the bell.

The woman who opened the door looked so much like me it hurt. I was starting to understand why John avoided seeing me as I grew up, as the similarities between us were striking. The main difference between us nowadays was my hair, which I kept pixie short.

"Hi, Mary." Dean said, as if walking to see our mom before we were even born was the most rational thing in the world.

"You can't be here." She said.

"I'm sorry if this is a bad time." He said.

"You don't understand." She cut him off. "I'm not… I don't do that anymore. I have a normal life now. You have to go."

That sentence sounded so much like me it broke my heart a little bit. She's just like me. trying to be out, trying to have a normal life. Will I be thrown right back in the way she was?

"I'm sorry, but this is important, okay?" He tried.

_Tell her Dave sent you._ I told my brothers, but my train of thought got cut off by a man appearing behind Mary.

"Sorry, sweetie," our Mom told our much younger Dad, "they're just –"

"Mary's cousins." Dean cut her off. "Yeah, we couldn't stop through town without swinging by and saying 'hey', now, could we? Dean." He added, reaching out his hand for a shake.

I realized my hand was still holding Sam's, and let go before my grip would be tight enough to break his bones, but he kept his grip just as tight.

"You look familiar." John said.

"Really?" Dean asked, too surprised to let it pass before he wore a mask. "Yeah, you do, too, actually, you know? We must have met sometime. Small towns, right? Got to love 'em."

_Nice save._ I said sarcastically.

"I'm John." Our father introduced himself, and Sam finally let go of my hand to shake his, tears shining in his eyes.

_He never got to know Mom._ I realized. _And he never knew the time before Dad became our commander and not our father._

"This is Sam." Dean said, seeing as our brother wasn't going to introduce himself any time soon.

"Sam." John repeated. "Mary's father was a Sam."

"It's a… it's a family name." Dean mumbled lamely.

John looked at Sam again, before looking at their hands, still grasped in Sam's grip. "You okay, pal?" he asked. "You look a little spooked."

"Oh." Sam said, letting go of his hand. "Oh, yeah. Just a… long trip."

"Well, Sam and Dean were just on their way out." Mary tried to usher them away.

"What?" John asked. "They just got here. Real happy to meet folks from Mary's side." He added. "Please come on in for a beer."

"Sure." Dean said, smiling.

"Are you sure you're okay, Sam?" John asked.

_Dave._ I sent to both of my brother's minds. _Tell them Dave sends his regards._

"Yeah." Sam said. "Dave told me to… send his regards."

Mary visibly relaxed.

"You know Dave?" John asked, smiling. "Hadn't seen him in a couple of months now, since he started his fancy job at the FBI."

"He should come over next weekend." Mary smiled. "Come on in, please."

"Baby doll, I don't know how you knew it, but I'm worshiping you right now." Dean whispered.

_You're welcome._ I said. _Don't screw it up._

* * *

John was missing.

He was out of the room for less than five minutes before we walked to the hallway to see he left a note saying he's out.

"Where could he go?" Dean asked. "Think, Mary, where could he go?"

"The garage." Mary said. "I can't think of anywhere else."

_I'll meet you there._ I said, disappearing before anybody had a chance to argue.

I reappeared just when Anna sent John flying at a cabinet nearby.

"Stay the Hell away from my dad, you bitch!" I called, throwing her at the wall.

"Well, well." Anna smiled. "If it isn't little Dee."

"Don't call me that." I growled.

"Does your brothers know you're here?" She asked. "How about I'll tell them. You'll have a sweet family reunion before you died."

Anger flashed through me and I threw her at one of the cars. She started chocking for air when I felt a presence behind me.

"Baby doll." Dean said. "Baby doll, stop."

_That's what you wanted, wasn't it?_ I sent through the room. _You wanted her dead._

"Not like this." Sam said. "Listen… Baby doll, once you killed someone, there's no going back. It will change you."

_I killed people._ I told them. _I hunt bad people. That's what I do. That's what I _am_ doing._

I looked back at Anna just in time to see her smiling as she faded away. I stood in the middle of the car garage, shocked, until Dean walked next to me and put a hand on my shoulder.

Immediately, I disappeared again.

* * *

"Okay." Mary told Dean later, after setting yet another sigil in case Anna would arrive. "You said you'd explain everything when we had a minute. We have a minute. Why does an angel want me dead?"

"Cause they're dicks." Dean offered.

"Not good enough." She replied. "I didn't even know they existed, and now I'm a target?"

"It's complicated." He sighed.

"Fine." She said. "All ears."

"You're just gonna have to trust me, okay?" He asked.

"I've been trusting you all day." She said.

_Tell her._ I told him.

"It's kind of hard to believe." He said, both to me and to her.

"All right, then." She told him. "I'm walking out the door."

She turned to leave and Dean sighed, closing his eyes and saying with all of his will, "I'm your son."

Mary turned around, shocked. "What?"

"I'm your son." He said. "Sorry. I don't know how else to say it. We're from the year 2010. An angel zapped us back here. Not the one that attacked you – friendlier, with the help of baby doll here." He marked at a point slightly to my right.

"You can't expect me to believe that." She said.

"Our names are Dean and Sam Winchester." He said. "I've got a twin named Diana. We're named after your parents." He took a deep breath. "When Dee and I would get sick – We always got sick together – you would make us tomato-rice soup, because that's what your mom made you. And instead of a lullaby," he went on, "you would sing 'Hey Jude'. Cause that's your favorite Beatles song."

"I…" Mary stuttered. "I don't believe it. No."

"I'm sorry, but it's true." He said.

"I raised my kids to be hunters?" She asked.

"No." Dean said, tears forming in his eyes. "No, you didn't."

"How could I do that to you?" She asked.

"You didn't do it." Dean said. "Because you're dead."

She looked at him with eyes wide with shock as he explained the story to her, asking and begging that she would stay alive at November 2nd. Sam walked in, saying it won't work. Saying Yellow-Eyes would follow her around.

"You got to leave John." He told her.

"What?" She asked, confused.

"When this is all over," Sam said, "walk away and never look back."

"So we're never born." Dean said.

"I can't." Mary said. "You're saying that you're my children, and now you're saying…"

"You have no other choice." Sam said.

"There's a big difference between dying and never being born." Dean said. "And trust me, we're okay with it, I promise you that."

_We are._ I whispered in her mind.

"Okay, well, I'm not." She said.

"Listen, you think you can have that normal life that you want so bad, but you can't." Sam sighed. "I'm sorry. It's all gonna go rotten. You are gonna die, and your children will be cursed."

"There…" Mary cried. "There has to be a way."

"No, this is the way." Dean said. "Leave John."

"I can't." She said, tears streaming on her cheeks.

"This is bigger than us." Dean said. "There are so many more lives at stake..."

"You don't understand." She cut him off. "I can't. It's too late. I'm… I'm pregnant." She looked between my brothers, afraid. "Get out." She whispered.

"What?" Dean asked.

"I said, get out!"

I looked at Mary as she stared at the empty room, confused and uncertain.

"Baby doll?" She asked, her eyes climbing right up to the ceiling. "Can you hear me?"

"I'm here." I said, appearing behind her. "And I have a name. My friends call me Chessi." I looked at her. "You can, too."

"You're..." She said, confused. "You… you look like me."

"I hear that quite a lot." I said, half a smile on my face.

"Who are you?" My mother asked. "_What_ are you?"

"I'm your daughter." I replied. "And to my knowledge, I'm human."

"You're..." Her hand darted to her stomach. "Dean and Diana."

"Twins." I confirmed. "Great job on the creativity, by the way."

"I need to sit down." She mumbled and a chair appeared. "Did you just..."

"Kinda." I admitted.

"How did you get these powers?" She asked.

"Not by deal." I relaxed her. "Or any abnormal way. It's natural. And I'm still learning to control it."

"When Dean spoke to himself, he was actually talking to you?" Mary asked.

"Telepathy." I said. "It's… Kinda new."

"Why didn't you just come with them?"

"They don't exactly know I'm here." I said, ashamed. "They know _someone_ is here, but they don't know it's me. I have a life outside of hunting. A husband, a daughter."

"And yet you're here." Mary said. "Helping."

"You're my parents." I explained. "Of course I'm here to help."

"Because you _want_ to help us or because you _must_?" She questioned.

"Because it's the right thing to do." I said. "You sat there, _whining_ – with all the respect – about your kids being hunters. It made us good people, better people."

She opened her mouth to argue when John came rushing into the room and I disappeared again.

"Hey, we got a problem." He said. "Those blood things, the sigils, they're gone."

"Gone as in…?" Sam asked.

"I drew one on the back of the door." John said. "I turned around. And when I looked back again, it was a smudge."

"He's right." Dean said, looking at one of the sigils he drew.

"There's no more holy oil." Mary said, just as wind started blowing and the windows exploded as someone was speaking pure Enochian, causing everybody but me to cover their ears.

**"Leave!"**

* * *

_"Well." Dean said. "This is it."_

_"This is what?" Sam asked._

_"Team free will." Dean said. "One ex-blood junkie, one dropout with 6 bucks to his name, and Mr. Comatose over there. It's awesome."_

_"It's not funny." Sam said._

_"I'm not laughing." Dean told him._

_Sam took a look at Castiel's unconscious form on the motel room bed._

_"They all say we'll say yes." He sighed._

_"I know." Dean said. "It's getting annoying."_

_"What if they're right?" Sam asked._

_"They're not." Dean replied. "Cause there's one thing you forget."_

_"What is it?" Sam asked._

_"The Child of Creation." Dean told him and my blood froze. "Gabriel's apprentice. Cas' friend. And a major threat to Michael, as it turns out. She's on our side."_

_"We need to find her first." Sam noted._

_"So, let's find her." Dean smiled. "How hard can it already be?"_

* * *

I woke up at the parking lot of some trashy motel, head banging with pain and body aching. Turning around at my side, I puked and coughed, gasping for air as I did.

Two figures came running to me but they never got close enough so I could see who they were before I blacked out again.

I sat up straight at the motel bed, causing the two people in the room to jump at my direction and stop me from getting out of bed.

"Hey, easy there." Dean said. "You've been wound up pretty badly."

"What am I doing here?" I asked. "How did we get back from 1978?"

"You were at 1978?" Sam asked. "What were you doing there?"

"Trying to save your asses." I replied. _I'm here._ I thought to myself. _I'm meeting my brothers again and I owe them an explanation._ "Listen, I know you're probably mad at me. To be honest, you have every right to be. But I have obligations now, friends, a husband and child and I can't just..." I trailed off, seeing the confused looks on their faces.

"Missy, are you alright?" Dean asked. "I think that concussion was worse than we thought."

"Dean," I started but he cut me off.

"How do you know my name?" He asked suspiciously.

"Sammy," I begged but Sam cut me off.

"Nobody calls me Sammy other than him." He replied, standing up and pulling a knife. "He asked you a question. How do you know us?"

"This can't be happening." I cried. "This just can't be happening. Please, tell me you know me."

They looked at each other, now more confused than angry or seeing me as a threat.

"I don't know _who_ you are," Dean said, "or _what_ you are, but I've never seen you in my life."

I looked at them, wide-eyed and afraid as their words sunk in.

"That just can't be good."

**Please review!**


	22. Worlds Collide

**A/N:**** First of all, I wanted to thank TB for reviewing, your review made me laugh _so_ hard!**

**Second of all, the quote in this chapter comes from Phil Collins' "Two Worlds" - a Tarzan song I loved since I was little.**

**And, finally, I want to say in advance I really doubt it if I will update this Wednesday - I just don't have much time to write. Don't hate me.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Criminal Minds.**

* * *

**Put your faith in what you most believe in,  
Two worlds, one family.  
Trust your heart,  
Let fate decide,  
To guide these lives we see.  
Phil Collins, ****_Two Worlds_**

"How can this be happening?"

For the next half an hour after my brothers told me they didn't have a clue who I was, I freaked out.

I screamed, I begged, I tossed random facts about them into the air and eventually, I just curled up into a ball and sobbed myself dry.

"_What_ is happening?" Dean asked, a gun in his hand, not even bothering to point it at me.

"My name," I said, trying my hardest not to fall apart on the bed, "is Diana Winchester. I was born January 24, 1979. My parents are John and Mary Winchester, I am your sister – your _twin_ sister."

"I don't have a sister." He said.

"Yes, you do." I told him, tears streaming down my face. "We talked on the phone, just a couple of weeks ago. Sammy –" Sam sent a pointed look my way. "– Sam left me a voicemail after John died. Bobby was at my wedding, my child-birth."

"None of those things ever happened." Sam told me.

"Yes, they did." I cried. "You… You're afraid of clowns. Dean always left you at 'Plucky Pennywhistle's Magical Menagerie', so you're scared of clowns. Dean…" I looked at my brother. "Your first kill was a werewolf, when you were seventeen. First kiss – Robin. You were sixteen and living at 'Sonny's Home for Troubled Boys'."

"How do you know all of that?" Dean asked.

"Because I'm your sister!" I said. "You told me all of that! I'm your sister, you've got to believe me."

"Dean," Sam said, "she may be telling the truth. Or, at least, what she thinks is the truth."

"How can you say that?" Dean asked.

"How can she know that?" Sam questioned. "You were in a home for troubled kids? Dude, even I didn't know that."

"It doesn't mean she's telling the truth." Dean insisted. "How can she be our sister if we don't know her?"

"I don't know." Sam said. "But weirder things had happened." He looked at me. "What is the last thing you remember?"

"We were…" I concentrated on my memory. "We were at Mary's safe house in the woods. In 1978. Anna came and killed Sam, and then tried to kill mom. I tried to heal Sam, but couldn't. Then Michael came. He talked to you." I told Dean. "And he talked to me."

_"I'm only going to offer once." He said. "Join us, pick our side, and Jenna will live. Don't, and we will kill her like the abomination she is."_

_"You'll have to go through me." I threatened._

_Michael smiled. "Looking forward to it."_

"He sent Sam and you back here, and then tried to send me, too, but I…" I looked at my legs with shame. "I was afraid. I tried to fight him. Next thing I know, I'm here."

"So Michael did it." Dean sighed. "Why am I not surprised?"

"If Michael did it, maybe he can set it right." Sam offered.

"Oh, yeah." I said sarcastically. "And the only thing he would want in return is Dean's 'yes'. Not gonna happen."

"I'm with the crazy chick." Dean said. "There's no way Michael's gonna help us. But I know who might." He looked up. "Hey, Cas! Get your feathery ass down here!"

"Yes, Dean?" Castiel asked, materializing inches away from my brother.

"Dude!" Dean called, backing away. "We talked about it! Personal space!"

"I am sorry, Dean." Cas said. "You called for me?"

"Cas." I said, causing the angel to turn and look at me. I could still see his halo, but it wasn't as big as it used to be. "Please, tell me you know who I am."

He looked me up and down for a moment. "You do not belong here." He finally said.

"You know her?" Dean asked, surprised.

"No." Castiel replied, causing my heart to sink. "But the energies I receive… you don't belong in this world."

"This world?" Sam asked. "What do you mean by that?"

"Don't say parallel universe." Dean said. "Or, I swear, I don't know what I'll do."

Castiel looked at us silently for a couple of moments.

"Well?" I asked impatiently. "What is it?"

"I…" He hesitated. "Dean told me not to say parallel universe."

My eyes widened in fear and surprise.

"No." I said. "No, no, no. Please, tell me that's not happening."

"Relax." Sam said.

"Relax?" I repeated. "How can I relax? He just told me I'm in a friggin' parallel universe!"

"No," Cas said, "Dean forbade me from using the term parallel universe."

"And we've used it too many times in this conversation." Dean cut us all off. "So crazy chick's our sister from a different world? How do you even know that?"

"I do not know if she is indeed your sister." Cas replied. "I can only assume she is. But she is the Child of Creation."

"Great." I sighed. "Even in a parallel universe I'm the Child of Creation."

"Of course you are." Castiel said. "Just like Dean is Michael's true vessel in your universe, and Sam is Lucifer's. That is not something that can change between worlds. In this world, you do not exist, and therefor there is no Child of Creation."

"But now I'm here." I said.

"And you are breaking the natural order by doing so." He said.

"Okay." I took a moment to let everything he said sink in. "How do I get back home?"

"I… Do not know."

"You don't know?" Dean asked. "What do you mean, 'you don't know'?"

"Usually, the term is used when someone is without a solution to the situation, correct?" Cas asked, and Dean sighed. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, Cas, you were fine." I said softly.

"Maybe you should go." Sam offered.

"If that is what you think best." Cas nodded. "And you should know, there is an FBI team in town, searching for you."

Three heads popped up in his direction, but he was already gone.

"FBI?" Sam asked. "We need to get out of town, _now_."

"Did you pay in advance?" I asked and Sam scratched the back of his neck. "Of course not." I sighed, getting up.

"Where do you think you're going?" Dean asked.

"To pay." I said. "Seeing as I'm the only one here who is _not_ on the top of the FBI most wanted list. What do you think's going to happen?"

"You run with our money." Sam said. "Or turn us in."

"You're my best chance at getting back home." I said. "And I'm not going to turn you to the FBI."

"You could still get arrested." Dean said, real worry showing up for the first time in his voice.

"Don't worry." I told him as I walked outside. "I know what I'm doing."

* * *

That was by far the worst day I ever had.

Worse than Dean's time in hell. Worse than the time I was kidnapped and raped. Worse than the days I spent with Tobias Hankle, Charles and Raphael.

As if it wasn't enough that I was stuck in a universe I was never born in. As if it wasn't enough that my brothers didn't know who I was. I was arrested by - not any simple old FBI – the _BAU_.

"I'm not gonna ask you again." Morgan said as he sat in front of me at the interrogation room in the local Police Department. "What's your name?"

"I told you already." I said, annoyed. "My name is Diana Chess."

"Stop lying to us." Prentiss said. "We checked, there's nobody by that name."

_Because I don't exist here._

"Too bad, cause that's my name." I told her.

"We know you were in the same motel room as Dean and Sam Winchester." Morgan said. "We saw you coming out from there. Now, their car drove away about half an hour ago, without you. They threw you to the dogs, but we can help you."

"Help me?" I asked. "Help me with what?"

"Assisting wanted personal."

I smirked knowingly. "Do you have any eye witnesses?" I asked. "Any CCTV footage? Anything that says I even _know_ them, other than circumstantial evidence?" I leaned back in my chair when they didn't reply. "Didn't think so."

"Do you know what Dean Winchester does to women?" Prentiss asked.

"Is that the intimidation part?" I asked. "Scaring my by telling me all the things they supposedly did to make me think I would be their next victim?"

"How do you know you won't be?" She asked.

"Maybe because, last I checked, Sam and Dean Winchester were dead?" I asked innocently. "What's the BAU even doing searching for them? Isn't there a serial killer somewhere?"

"There is." Morgan said. "His name is Dean Winchester."

"You're repeating yourself, you do know that, right?" I asked.

"Diana -"

"Chessi." I corrected. "Nobody calls me Diana anymore."

"Chessi," Morgan tried again, "these guys are psychopaths. They will kill you."

"First of all, they need to be, you know, _alive_." I said. "After that, they need to actually _know _me. And even then, they won't kill me."

"How can you be so sure?" Prentiss asked.

"A hunch." I said.

Morgan shook his head in disbelief and walked out of the room, Prentiss following closely after and I sighed as I rested my head on the table.

That was the longest day ever. And from my experience, days like that only gets even longer.

As I closed my eyes, I pictured Jenna. What was happening back home? Were I a missing person? Will I stay here forever? Will I ever see my daughter again?

"A boy or a girl?"

I looked up to see JJ looking at me.

"What?" I asked.

"The look on your face, it's the same I have after a long day when I just want to go home to my kid." She said.

The sympathetic one. _Great._

"A girl." I said. "Jennifer."

JJ smiled. "My name is Jennifer, too." She said. "I have a son, Henry. He's a year old."

I knew that every piece of information I give them will be thoroughly tested by Garcia, but I also knew that since I didn't exist in this world, she won't find anything.

"Jenna was born at September 23." I said. "I'm not so sure what's the date, so..."

"January 24." JJ provided.

"Really?" I laughed bitterly. "Happy birthday to me, then."

"It's your birthday?" She asked, surprised.

"Yeah." I said. "I had better ones."

JJ looked at me worryingly for a couple of seconds. "Does Sam and Dean have her?" She asked. "Is that why you're helping them?"

"No." I said. "Jennifer's safe at home with my husband. What?" I added when I saw the look on her face.

"You said, 'My husband'." She explained. "Not, 'Her father'. Is Sam or Dean..."

"No, gosh, no." I said. "But you're right, Daniel's not the dad." I paused in shock. "That's the first time I admitted it out loud."

"Is Jimmy Novak - I mean, Castiel -"

"Now you're trying to check if I'm under the same delusion as they supposedly are." I said, smiling. "Nice try."

"They aren't just going to stop killing." JJ said angrily. "People will die."

"Kinda cliché, don't you think?" I asked her. "Oh, and on the way out, can you bring me some pen and paper? I'm getting bored."

The look on JJ's face as she walked out the door could've make anyone think I am the serial killer.

She did bring me papers, though. I scribbled nonsense on them, practicing my skills at deleting the ink until I was satisfied. I started writing, three words alone, and decorating around them. I felt another presence in the room, but didn't look up. I knew that once they spoke, I would recognize them.

"Mind if I looked?" Rossi asked.

A smile popped to my face. "Actually," I said, "I made this just for you."

He raised a brow as he took the notebook from me, and his face paled when he saw the neat scribble on it.

_World's worst godfather._

He took the pen and wrote a reply, talking to me as he did.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"Diana Chess." I replied.

"Diana Chess doesn't exist." He said, passing over the notebook.

**Are you a psychic?**

"No, I suppose not." I replied both to the written question and to his statement.

"Why are you helping them?" Rossi asked.

I wrote my reply and shrugged unceremoniously as I passed it to him.

_Why aren't you?_

"Ever heard of Mary Campbell?" I asked.

"The name rings a bell." He said.

_Understatement._ I wrote him.

"Do you know I was four years old when she died?" I questioned. "Four years, nine months and eight days, to be precise. Conveniently, so was Dean." I started tracing the line of ink with my finger, deleting it drop by drop. "How old were you?"

"What game are you playing here?" Rossi asked, angry.

"Truth game." I said. "None of what I told you was a lie, but Garcia still didn't find anything about me."

"How do you know about Garcia?" He asked.

"No information at me, at all." I said. "Nobody saw me in this town. Nobody knows me. No bank reports, no cellphone trace. I bet you took my DNA from the glass of water I drank earlier, but you'll find nothing. Well, almost nothing."

I finished deleting the words on the paper and started writing something new.

"Almost as if," I smiled, "I appeared today."

I handed the notebook to him.

_I'm from a parallel universe._

"Impossible." Rossi said.

"Weirder things happened." I said.

"How?" He asked.

"Trust me, if I knew, I'd be back home right now." I replied. "Now, are you gonna tell your team about Mary Campbell and start making amends for 26 years, or do you want me to tell the next person that will walk through the door?"

He looked at me for a second. "How did you delete the ink from the paper?" He finally asked.

My smile was wide and, for the first time that day, honest.

"A magician never tells his secrets."

* * *

"So you expect us to believe you're Dean Winchester's twin sister from a parallel universe in which you are also a part of the team?" Hotch asked me as I stood in the middle of the kitchen at the Police Department and made some coffee.

"You summed it up pretty well." I said.

"And all of the things Dean and Sam are _supposedly_ hunting…" JJ started, shocked.

"All real." Rossi verified.

"And you knew their mother?" Prentiss asked him.

"I'm Dean's godfather." He replied.

"And mine." I said, pouring coffee into cups and starting to put the right amounts of cream and sugar. "Well, not _you_, I don't exist here. But, you know. Generally."

"So, in St. Louis…?" Reid asked.

"Shape-shifter." I said. "And it was a shape-shifter in Milwaukee, too."

"Agent Henriksen…" Morgan said, rubbing his temples as if they just might blow up if he didn't.

"A good, honorable man who died bloody and painfully and didn't deserve it." I finished making the coffee and started giving people their respective cups. "Just the way you like it."

"How do you know all of that?" Prentiss asked.

"You're my team." I said. "Some things never change."

"Do we – other 'we' – do we know?" Hotch asked.

"You know." I told him. "Lilith – the demon who killed Henriksen – she possessed Strauss so you, she and Garcia found out. Rossi, of course, grew up hunting. And Reid read the books."

"Books?" Reid asked, taking a sip from his coffee flavored sugar. "What books?"

"Supernatural by Carver Edlund." I said. "He's a prophet who's focused on my brothers' lives."

"That's weird in so many levels." JJ mumbled.

"You think that's weird?" I asked. "At least you're not mentioned at them. For Spence's birthday, he and Garcia made me come to a convention with them. There was actually a real ghost, _and_ a panel about whether or not I exist."

"What was the conclusion?" She asked with a smile.

"A solid 'No'." I laughed. "I disagreed, of course."

"So what now?" Prentiss asked.

"Now I need to get back to Dean and Sam." I said.

"They left you." Morgan said. "They can be anywhere by now."

"Please." I smiled. "Alternate universe or not, they're still my brothers. I know _exactly_ where they are."

* * *

When Rossi's black SUV drove through the torn out sign of 'Singer's Salvage Yard', I couldn't help but feel excitement.

This place hadn't changed the bit since I last been here – in my universe. It was just the same as the house I grew up at, and my heart was beating faster as a smile plastered itself upon my face.

We stepped out of the car and stood on the porch, and I reached a shaky hand to knock three times on the wooden door. There was movement from the other side of the door before it opened, revealing Dean's grumped face.

"Oh." He said. "You."

"Nice to see you, too." I said teasingly. "You can put the gun away."

"I don't think so." Dean muttered, looking Rossi up and down before his eyes darted to the SUV. "I thought you said you won't sell us to the Feds."

"I didn't." I said. "He's not here for you two. He's here to make Bobby trust me."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dean asked.

"Just tell Bobby Dave Rossi came by." Rossi said.

"And when he tells you to kick him away, ignore it and bring him anyway." I added.

Dean looked at the two of us suspiciously before calling out, "Sammy, put an eye on the door, would you? Make sure nobody comes in."

"I daresay we're not invited in." I smiled and we waited for Dean to return, following a wheel-chaired Bobby.

"Dave." He said grumpily.

"Bobby." Rossi replied, using the exact same tone.

"Boys," I scowled, as I did so many times in the past, "behave."

"Is this the crazy chick you told me about?" Bobby asked Dean.

"This crazy chick just got you two off the FBI's radar, for good." I said. "And she really doesn't like having this conversation here in the open. Or talking about herself in third person." I added as an afterthought, making Bobby shrug but move away.

We walked in and I looked around the house, smiling as Dean opened the fridge.

"Bobby, where's the beer?" He asked.

"Cupboard, bottom shelf." I said, rather tensely. "He moved it about three weeks ago."

Dean murmured something that sounded an awful lot like "Crazy chick" before he returned, five beers in his hand – one for Sam, who had also joined us in Bobby's study.

I eyed the beer carefully, and Rossi, ever the profiler, noticed something was wrong.

"Is there a problem?" He asked.

"Have the team ever told you about Tobias Hankle?" I asked and he nodded curtly. "We've… met."

He sensed there was something I didn't want my not-so-brothers and Bobby to know, so he simply asked if Reid _introduced_ us.

"None of that." Bobby said. "I trust you enough to let you in my house. You don't get to keep secrets from me."

"Bobby," Rossi started, "I really think it would be best if –"

"Nobody talked to you." He growled.

"Behave." I muttered. "Sorry." I added as I saw the look Bobby was giving me. "Force of a habit."

"Who's Tobias Hankle?" Sam asked.

"Are you sure you want to know?" I asked. "It's not the type of stories you can sugarcoat."

"Don't sugarcoat it, then." Dean told me harshly.

"He was an Unsub – unidentified subject – with multiple personality disorder." I said. "The first was Charles, his father. He tortured my best friend, trying to get him to confess his _sins_." Rossi raised a brow as I referred to Spencer as my best friend, but I ignored him. "The second was Raphael. I believe you've already met."

"The angel, Raphael?" Sam asked. "The actual angel?"

"At least in my universe." I said. "Here… did he even exist?"

"He did." Rossi replied. "Don't know if it was really an angel."

"The third personality was Tobias himself." I continued. "In order to help Spence and me with Charles, he drugged us with Dilaudid."

"That's some strong stuff." Sam breathed in.

_Not as strong as Demon's Blood._ I thought and he frowned.

"I'm sorry." I said. "Did I just…?"

"Did you just speak into my mind?" He asked.

Rossi looked at me and I knew he was thinking about the ink incident from earlier.

"Long story." I said. "I'll explain later. After the team found us, Spence kept using. The drug… it affected him harder than he did on me. He stopped a couple of months later – it was all before Dave even joined the team. When Dean was in Hell," I looked at him from the corner of my eye, noting the way he tensed, "I had a rough time. Part of the –" I marked at Sam's head "– thing involves my dream being what Dean lives."

"Your Dean." Dean clarified.

"I don't think it's all that different." I said, brushing it off. "When you were in Hell, I didn't sleep. You know why." I added darkly and he nodded. "The Dilaudid stopped the dreams, giving my mind some sleep – even if restless one."

"What happened?" Sam asked, genuinely interested.

"Remember your detoxing?" I asked, knowing he could never forget. "I spent 36 hours in the panic room."

"What about the ink?" Rossi asked.

"Ink?" Bobby repeated.

I took a paper from the table, ignoring Bobby's protests, and passed my finger on the letters, making the ink disappear.

"Okay, seriously, _what_ are you?" Dean asked.

"The Child of Creation." Four sets of confused eyes looked at me. "Angelic powers, my word can set the balance of the Apocalypse." I summed for them.

"Weird." Dean said. "What do we think about it?"

"You?" I asked, laughing bitterly. "You and I didn't talk face to face in twelve years." I said, and the room fell silent.

* * *

**Review!**


	23. Love, Love, Love

**A/N:**** I know I haven't updated in forever and I'm so so sorry! If it makes you feel any better, though, it is currently 2am and I'm updating.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: i do not own Supernatural or Criminal minds.**

* * *

**"Absence makes the heart grow fonder,  
But it sure makes the rest of you lonely."  
Charlie Brown**

I was on my back at Bobby's garage, working on the motor I found when I was wandering around the cars one day. The red, '71 model Ducati Scrambler. Just the same as I had at my world – the exact same, even – only still broken.

I wasn't here to fix it.

I took the Scrambler as my little project to pass the time while we were searching for ways to get me back home. I was working on it for two weeks now, and almost finished. It was rather quick for a vehicle at the state I found the motor, but since I already knew it and have already fixed it, it was a normal time.

I was just making a couple of last adjustments to make sure the engine won't overheat the way it had the first four times I rode it when I was still a teen, the speakers playing Bon Jovi at full volume.

"Oh, she's a little runaway.  
Daddy's girl learned fast,  
All those things he couldn't say.  
Ooh, she's a little runaway."

"Don't sing."

My head nearly bumped at the motor when I rose quickly at the sound of my brother's voice.

Well, not exactly my brother, but more like Other-Dean. It was still better than No-Dean, but not by much.

"You're not really the singer of the century yourself." I retorted.

"Never said I was." Other-Dean replied. "We've got a case not far from here – a couple _ate_ each other to death. Thought you might want the distraction."

"Ate, like, _ate_?" I asked, engrossed yet intrigued.

"You bet it." He said. "Are you coming?" He looked at the motor. "You can finish that later."

"Sure." I said. "Just give me ten minutes to change and I'm coming."

"No problem." He replied with a forced smile.

Even though it was clear he didn't trust me, over the course of the last three weeks Other-Dean learned to accept the fact that I was, in fact, from another universe, and that until we find a way for me to go back I plan to stick to them.

So he retreated to speaking to me only when necessary and treating me with respectful coldness. I proved myself useful with research, but this was the first time they actually let me join on a case, for which I was thrilled.

I also may have forgotten to mention I wasn't hunting since I was eighteen.

After taking a quick sower, I ran downstairs and jumped into the backseat of the Impala, causing Sam to look at me, bemused, and Dean with annoyance.

"Do you have to be so cheerful?" He all but growled.

"Necessity of the job." I said. "If there was one thing Garcia taught me, it was to keep reminding me of all the reasons to be happy when I can't see the light."

"Can't see the light?" Dean snorted. "What happened? Your pack of paperwork was too high?"

"Just for your information, I hunt serial killers." I said coldly. "Now are we gonna get out anytime soon?"

Rolling his eyes, Dean blasted Avenged Sevenfold through the speakers and Sam sighed defiantly. It was clearly a sign for me to stop talking, but I was never especially good at doing what I was expected. Instead, I started singing along with "Afterlife" before Dean threatened to kick me out of the car.

We arrived at the town where Dean and I dropped at the morgue while Sam went to the crime scene.

"You know," I told Dean as we walked into the building, "this would be much nicer if we talked."

"I'll pass." He said bitterly.

"Why do you hate me?" I asked.

"I don't." He replied.

"You do." I said, holding his hand and forcing him to stop. "What is it?"

"It's nothing." He said, shaking my hand off and walking into the ME's office.

"Gruesome case, this one." The morgue said. "Ate each other… I found what is to be expected in their stomach – little pieces of each other." He looked at me. "Are you sure you want to see this?"

"I've seen worse." I replied.

"If you're sure." He said. "I'll go out now, seeing this once was bad enough."

"Did you?" Dean asked when he left.

"Did I what?" I asked.

"See worse."

"I did." I said. "We've had a case about two years back with a cannibalistic killer. When we caught him, he insisted to talk to the priest. Apparently, when we ran a search for one of the missing women, he came by. Served stew."

"Gross." Dean said, looking at me in disgust.

"'God is in all of us', 'So is Tracy Lambert'."

"So you… ate a woman once?" Dean questioned.

"Not voluntarily, if that's what you're implying." I said, looking at the bodies. "And certainly not when she was still alive."

We worked in silence for a while before deciding we were done and leaving towards the motel.

"I don't hate you." Dean said.

"So you've repeatedly said." I replied.

"I'm just…" He sighed. "What's Other-Me's like?"

"Pretty much the same, to be honest." I told him.

"How?" He questioned.

"What do you mean?"

"After mom died, I didn't speak for weeks, according to Dad's journal." Dean explained. "Weeks. Not a word. I grew up taking care of Sam, with nobody to take care of me. Something _must've_ changed if you were there."

"You talked to me." I admitted. "Only to me, and you were always whispering. We took care of Sammy together, but you still did most of the job since John didn't fully trust me. because I tripped."

"You tripped?" He asked, confused.

"That night." I said. "He told us to take Sammy and go outside and I tripped and fell. Well, Yellow Eyes tripped me. John had to carry me out. And then, when I was twelve, Lilith possessed me and I was traumatized so John went to a mage to delete my memories and then dumped me at Bobby's."

"That's harsh, even for him." Dean said.

"He was only trying to keep me safe and I hated him for that." I said, ashamed. "At eighteen I left for college and tried my hardest not to look back, but I got dragged in anyway." I shrugged. "You can't stay out when you're a Winchester."

"Yes, but how am I like?" Dean asked.

"You ditched Sam at Bobby's and took me for a hunt because you thought he was too young." I said. "You punched Ash for sleeping with me. You very nearly shot Henriksen when he as much as mentioned me. You're the typecast stereotype of an overprotective brother."

"At least I did _something_ well." He muttered. "But from the sound of it, you're out. You're married, have a stable job, friends, a kid –"

"A Nephilim." I corrected bitterly.

"A –" Dean looked shocked. "You married an _angel_?"

"No, no." I quickly said. "No."

"Twenty one questions, then." Dean said. "Someone we've met?"

"Yes." I said reluctantly, seeing I have no option other than to reply.

"Asshole?"

"He does have one, yes." I said and Dean scowled. "Fine. He's not an asshole – anymore."

"Is it Gabriel?" Dean questioned. "Is this why he was teaching you –"

"Gabe's not the father." I said. "He was there at the childbirth, though. And he also might have caused early labors."

Dean shook his head. "I've got no clue." He said.

"I'm not telling." I told him.

"Aw, come on!"

"Nope." I said. "If you don't figure it out yourself, you'll never know."

"You're mean." Dean pouted.

"But you love me." I smiled before realizing what I just said. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply – I don't know what –"

"Diana," Dean said, cutting me off, "it's okay."

"Are you sure?" I asked carefully.

"I think I am." He replied. "Like I said, repeatedly – I don't hate you."

"Thank god for small comforts." I mumbled, following him to meet with Sam.

* * *

We were sitting at the local diner, searching for signs of couples going crazy.

After the first couple, there was a second couple who lost it and shot both themselves and another person who happened to be there, and on their hearts, we discovered the sign of Cupid. As it seemed, we've got ourselves a Cupid murderer.

_Happy Valentine's Day._

The waitress came by and gave us our food – a burger for me and Dean and a salad for Sam – but both Dean and I weren't so hungry. It was hard to be after seeing the demolished bodies of the couple who ate one another.

As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I officially lost every single bit of appetite I had left.

"So, what," Dean started as he put ketchup on his burger, "you just happen to know he likes the cosmos at this place?"

"This place is a nexus of human reproduction." Cas said. "It's exactly the kind of…" He started getting distracted by my plate. "Of garden the Cupid will come to… to pollinate. Are you gonna eat that?"

"Go ahead." I told him, absently scratching my hand.

Dean pushed his plate away as well, causing Sam to look at him oddly.

"Wait a minute." He said. "You're not hungry?"

"No." Dean said. Sam raised his brow. "What? I'm not hungry."

"I'll take that." Castiel said, finishing my burger and starting on Dean's.

He paused in the middle of a bite, looking at Dean and making me feel weird. I looked away to see a naked guy standing next to one of the couples on dates.

"I think he's here." I said.

"Where?" Sam asked. "I don't see anything."

"There." Castiel said, pointing at the direction I was looking at.

"You mean the same-side-of-the-booth couple over there?" Dean asked, amused.

"Meet me in the back." Cas said, disappearing.

Dean and Sam looked at me but I only shrugged, going to the back of the bar where Castiel was holding the Cupid with some kind of mental trap.

"Cas, where is he?" Sam asked.

"He's right there." I said, pointing.

"There's nothing there." Dean said.

"I have him tethered." Cas said. "**Thou who play at hearts.** Manifest yourself."

The Cupid disappeared for a moment, leaving me confused before he reappeared, hugging Dean.

"Here I am!" He called happily.

"Help!" Dean called out, choking.

"Oh, help is on the way." Cupid said, lifting my brother several inches above the ground. "Yes, it is. Yes, it is." Suddenly, it seemed like he became aware of Castiel's presence. "Hello, you!" He called, heading towards him and hugging him as well.

"This is Cupid?" Dean asked.

"Yes." Castiel said.

"And look at you, huh?" Cupid now turned to Sam, who turned to run away only to find the angel behind him, trapping him in a hug as well before moving forward to me and crushing me in his arms.

Did I mention he was naked yet?

"Is this a fight?" Dean asked. "Are we in a fight?"

"This is their handshake." I said, though barely breathing.

"And how do you know that?" Cupid asked, letting go of me for a second.

"My degree in religion wasn't the most… Conservative one." I explained.

"Oh, clever you!" Cupid said, hugging me again.

"I don't like it." Sam said.

"No one likes it." Cas replied.

At long last, Cupid let go of me and turned back to Dean and Cas, smiling at the two of them almost knowingly. "What can I do for you?" He asked.

"Why are you doing this?" Cas asked.

"Doing what?"

"Your targets." Cas said. "The ones you've marked. They're slaughtering each other."

The smile drifted off Cupid's face. "What? They are?"

"Listen, birthday suit, we know, okay?" Dean said harshly.

"Dean," I started, "I really think he doesn't know."

"We know you been flittin' around, popping people with your poison arrow, making them murder each other!" Dean went on as if he didn't hear me.

"What we don't know is why." Castiel said.

"You think that I…" Cupid looked hurt and sad. "Well, I don't know what to say." He turned to the corner and started crying.

"Should…" Sam looked confused. "Should somebody maybe go talk to him?"

Three pairs of eyes turned at me and I sighed. "Idjits." I said, heading towards the crying, naked, grown man in the corner of the room. "Hey there, buddy." I told him. "I believe you. we didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

To my annoyance, he turned around and hugged me again.

"Love is more than a word to me, you know." He said. "I _love_ love. I love it! And if that's wrong, I don't want to be right!"

"Of course not." I said.

"I'm just on my appointed rounds." Cupid told me. "Whatever my targets do after, that… that's nothing to do with me. I was following my orders."

"I know." I said. "I believe you."

"Wait, wait, you said." Dean looked as if he lost the conversation ten miles back. "You said you were just following orders? Whose orders?"

"Whose?" Cupid asked, mercifully letting go of me again. "Heaven, silly. Heaven."

"Why does heaven care if Harry meets Sally?" Dean asked.

"Oh, mostly they don't." Cupid said. "You know, certain bloodlines, certain destinies. Oh, like yours."

"What?" I asked.

"Yeah, the union of John and Mary Winchester…" Cupid smiled. "Very big, top priority arrangement. And also…" He looked between Dean and Cas for a moment before winking at me.

"Dear god, no." I mumbled.

"Oh, yes." Cupid smiled broadly.

"Are you saying that you fixed-up our parents?" Dean asked.

"Well, not me," Cupid said, "but Yeah. Well, it wasn't easy, either. They couldn't stand each other at first. But when we were done with them – perfect couple."

"Perfect?" Dean questioned.

"Yeah." Cupid nodded enthusiastically.

"They're dead!"

"I'm sorry," Cupid said, looking truly sad, "but the orders were very clear. You and Sam needed to be born. Your parents were just meant to be. A match made in heaven."

That was the point when Dean punched him in the face.

* * *

It wasn't Cupid. It was something worse – way worse.

Famine.

_When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come." I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; but do not damage the oil and the wine."_

We left Sam locked in the motel room and headed out. My need for a drink or a dose was stronger than it was since my detoxing and I kept itching at the spot where faded needle marks still existed.

I knew Dean saw me, but we were in such a desperate need for help against hunger himself that he didn't care.

Or maybe it just was that he didn't care about me. not as much as he worried Sam would go back to demon's blood, at the very least.

We went back to the hospital and found out that the ME we talked to earlier was also affected. Setting up in the Impala out of the hospital, we waited for one of the demons to arrive and collect his soul.

Castiel arrived, eating yet another burger, and I started itching at my arm until it bled out. I only stopped when Dean threatened to pull me off and Cas wondered where Dean's hunger was.

"When I want a drink, I drink." Dean said. "When I want sex, I go get it. Same goes for sandwich or a fight."

But I couldn't ignore the odd look he sent Castiel's way, another one of the looks they were sharing all day long.

Following the soul, we found ourselves at Biggerson's Burgers. Almost poetic, since Cas ate their burgers all day long. He went inside to try and take Famine's ring, but it was taking him too long for a simple plan as ours so Dean and I walked inside. Absentmindedly, I started scratching my arm through the fabric.

"Not a word." I muttered as my shirt was torn and Dean nodded his understanding.

_Now is neither the time nor place for that._

"Cas?" I called out.

"Cas?" Dean repeated, almost frantically.

We found him stuffing raw meat into his mouth, occasionally sparing a glance at Dean's direction but otherwise indifferent to the world. As we watched, transfixed, three demons arrived and dragged out towards Famine himself.

Blood was freely pouring from my hand by then.

"The other Mr. Winchester." Famine said. "And the Child of Creation."

"What did you do to him?" Dean asked, marking at Castiel.

"You sent your dog on me." Famine smiled. "I just threw him a steak."

"So this is your big trick?" Dean asked, clearly trying not to look at Cas. "Making people cuckoo for cocoa puffs?"

"Doesn't take much." Famine said, looking at my hand with a smile. "Hardly a push. Oh, America. All-you-can-eat, all the time. Consume, consume. A swarm of locusts in stretch pants. And yet, you're all still starving because hunger doesn't just come from the body, it also comes from the soul."

My soul. My sick, twisted soul who is now _screaming_ at me to give her something to forget. Because all day long, it wasn't the drink that I needed the most, nor was it the drug.

It was home. And home was not an option.

"It's funny," Dean said, "it doesn't seem to be coming from mine."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Famine said, sending a knowing look between Dean and Cas. "You, on the other hand," he turned to look at me. "Quite remarkable, I must say."

Their demons left us and we both fell to the floor. Dean neared Castiel without even thinking about it as we both pushed ourselves back to our feet.

"Have you wondered why that is?" Famine asked us. "How you could even walk in my presence?"

"Well, I like to think it's because of our strength of character." I said.

"I disagree." Famine said.

The demons pushed us forwards and Famine reached a hand into Dean's chest.

"That's a lot of deep, dark nothing you got there, Dean." He said. "Can't fill it, can you? Not with food or drink. Not even with sex. Doesn't keep you from wanting."

Another one of those hinted looks at Castiel's direction and I was going to break something.

"Oh, you're so full of crap." Dean grunted out.

"You can smirk and joke and lie to your brother," Famine went on, "lie to yourself, but not to me! I can see inside you, Dean. I can see how broken you are, how defeated. You can't win, and you know it. But you just keep fighting. Just keep going through the motions. You're not hungry, Dean, because inside, you're already dead."

He turned towards me, putting his hand on my chest and seeing into my soul.

"And you…" He muttered. "So pure. So _good,_ it's almost sickening. All day long, you didn't take the drink or the drug because that wasn't what you wanted most. You can't get what you wanted most, even at your own world. And oddly enough," he chuckled, "it's the same thing Dean wants most."

"Screw you." I said, and suddenly my powers worked, and the demon knife appeared in my hand.

Without thinking, my hand headed towards Famine's hand as I cut his finger off, grazing upon my shirt as I did. The hunger disappeared but the demons attacked as Famine screamed on the floor and suddenly Sam was there, using his powers to send them away.

Dean leaned next to Castiel to make sure he was alright and I saw nothing but darkness.

* * *

"It was Cas."

Sam was locked and secured in the panic room, Castiel went to deal with… angel stuff and Dean was sitting out on the balcony of Bobby's house, beer in hand.

"You shouldn't be drinking." Dean said, marking at the beer I held in my hand.

"I earned it today." I said. "And besides, for the kind of conversation we're about to have I'm gonna need a drink."

"What conversation is it?" Dean asked.

"I told you already." I said, sitting down next to him. "It was Cas. The father of my child, it's Cas. And he didn't fell only back home, he fell here too."

"Yeah, he came to his senses about the Apocalypse eventually." Dean muttered.

"He didn't fell for the Apocalypse." I said. "Falling from Grace is like falling in love. You don't fall for some_thing_. You fall for some_one_."

"Who did Cas fall for at your universe?" Dean asked.

"Me and Jenna." I said, taking a swig. "Jennifer Mary McCloud."

"McCloud?" Dean asked, choking on a laugh.

"McCloud." I repeated, smiling at him.

"And you named her after mom." He added, smiling.

"Of course I did." I said. "If it was a boy, I'd probably name him after John."

"Why do you call him John?"

I shrugged. "Force of habit, I guess." I said. "Haven't called him 'dad' in forever."

"Who do you think Cas fell for here?" Dean asked.

I rolled my eyes. "You're really thick, you know that?"

"What?" Dean asked and I sent him a pointed look. "Wait, you don't mean…"

"He's fallen for you." I said, the mere recognition of the truthfulness of the words I was thinking since we met Cupid coming to me. "And by the looks of it, you return him the favor."

"I'm not… I'm not gay!" Dean called out.

"Even back at home, you're _at least_ bisexual." I said. "And, despite what we both know John would've said about it, it's okay."

"How can that be okay?" Dean asked.

"Dude, I fell in love with an angel, got pregnant by accident and lied to my husband about it." I said. "I think the universe will forgive you for loving both boys and girls."

Dean laughed, finishing his beer and opening another one.

"Do me a favor," he said. "When you get home, talk to Other-Me about it."

"I don't think that would be a good idea." I said.

"Why not?"

"You hate me back at home." I said, sadness flowing through me at the very thought.

"What makes you think that?" Dean asked, confused.

"You said so yourself." I replied sadly.

"Listen, I know me, okay?" Dean asked. "And, being someone that knows me, let me tell you this – I'm an idiot."

"Nothing new here." I joked halfheartedly.

"I mean it." Dean said, not laughing. "I have this… this thing with people leaving me. And I'm scared to let myself get hurt, but that only means I care so much about you I don't want to lose you again."

I sighed and took another swig of the beer in my hand. "This has turned out to be a chick-flick." I said.

"Tell me about it, sister."


	24. No Place Like Home

**A/N:**** Short chapter, I know, but there really wasn't much to add to it.**

**Also: very sad and dark chapter, check the warnings. The first two scenes are okay, but the third ****_isn't_****.**

**Warning: Major Character Deaths. Notice I said Death****_s_**** in plural. I'm a terrible person.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Criminal Minds.**

* * *

**"No one saves us but ourselves.  
No one can and no one may.  
We ourselves must walk the path."  
Gautama Buddha**

A week later, I took off on Darlin 2.0. I really couldn't bring myself to call her anything else, so I stuck with what I knew and what was familiar in this odd world where nothing was familiar.

To Dean, Sam and Bobby, I left nothing but a letter.

If it had been different, I would have talked to them and explained them why I was about to do what I was about to do, but things weren't different.

These weren't my Dean, Sam and Bobby, nor was it my Cas. Just like my team weren't my team. Just like the man I was now on the search for wasn't my Gabriel.

I already spent a month in this world – a month more than I should have. If I had been smarter, I would have seen that the way to make things alright was to go to the one who always had answers for me.

But as things were, I wasn't smarter. And it took me another month to find him.

When I finally did, it wasn't a pleasant sight. He was mean, and cold, and killing people for the laughs of it, just trying to keep his mind off the ongoing Apocalypse and the fact that his brothers were about to slaughter each other.

In a way, I could relate to that. However, I didn't relate as much when he was trying to kill me – using my Darlin'.

"Dude!" I called after I wrecked the motor entirely, seeing as it was the only way to stop it from running over me. "What did my motor ever do to you?"

"The motor?" Gabriel shrugged. "Nothing. You, on the other hand… coming here, radiating angelic powers and looking for me? You're lucky I've only wrecked your drive."

"I'm not looking for troubles." I said.

"Of course you're not looking for trouble." Gabriel rolled his eyes. "What team are you? Mike or Lucy?"

"Neither." I said.

"Like I'm gonna believe that." He said. "Though you don't look familiar… must be really young. Created after the fall? Or were you so young when it happened? What's your name, sister?"

"I'm not an angel." I said.

"Don't try to pull this crap on me." Gabe said. "You're stinking angelic powers."

"Please, listen to me." I begged. "I'm not an angel. I'm the Child of Creation."

"Like I'm about to believe that." He laughed darkly. "The Child of Creation doesn't exist."

"Not in this world." I agreed. "That's why I need your help."

"What do you mean by 'Not in this world'?" Gabe asked. "What, are you from a parallel universe or something?"

"Yes."

His eyes widened in surprise before going back to their usual, indifferent state. "Impossible."

"Weirder things have happened." I reminded him.

"You can't be from a parallel universe." Gabriel insisted. "How would you even get here?"

"I don't know." I admitted. "That's why I need your help."

"What happened?" He asked, sighing.

"I was in 1978," I said, "and I met Michael –"

"That's enough for me." Gabriel cut me off. "Bye."

"Please." I begged.

"No." He said harshly. "I don't get involved in this. I just want it all to be over."

"I have family back home." I said. "I have… _you_ back home. I know how you feel, I understand. My baby… My daughter… She's six months old by now. I _need_ to go back to her."

"Michael can't throw people to other worlds." Gabriel told me. "And even if he could, he wouldn't. He'd want to keep the Child of Creation close to him."

"He tried to send me back to the present." I told him. "I tried to run away and ended up here."

Suddenly, Gabriel seemed very interested. "What do you mean tried to run away?"

"I'm the Child of Creation." I reminded him. "I have these… powers…"

"How do you know to control them?" Gabriel questioned.

"You taught me."

Confusion crossed his face. "Why would I do that?" He asked.

"Because I owed you one." I said. "Well… owe you one is more like it. Pretty sure you've got it back."

"And you tried to get away from Michael?" He repeated.

"Yes." I said.

"Well, this either makes things by far simpler or by far more complicated." Gabriel said thoughtfully. "But, either way, I'll help."

"I don't understand." I said, confused.

"Mike had nothing to do with moving between the universes." Gabriel told me. "That was an activation of your powers. All we've got to do is figure out how to make it work again."

"So you mean…"

"What I mean," Gabriel said, impatiently, "is that all we've got to do is find the red slippers and then you can click your heels three times. You're going home, Dorothy."

* * *

"Peanut, it's Bobby. The boys just had the oddest case and I was wondering if you know anything about the 'Child of Creation'? Whoever this girl is, both Michael and Lucifer are after her. Call me if you've got something."

.

"Chessi, we've got a case. Briefing's in 20."

.

"Hey, it's Dean. I was just calling to make sure you're still alright. Call me back… only if you want to, of course."

.

"Chessi, why did you miss briefing? Wheels up in 30, please don't be late."

.

"You're still not picking up. Rossi and I are coming over to see if you're alright. Please be alright."

.

"Hotch, you'll probably only hear this when the plane lands, but Chessi's missing. According to Daniel, she went out in the middle of last night – said she'd be back in half an hour. Call me as soon as you can."

.

"Peanut, I need you to be the one to pick up this phone right now. You can't be missing. There's too much we need to do. So I _need_ you to be okay and pick up the phone right now."

.

"We talked to Gabriel, he says he can't find her anywhere."

"Cas said the exact same thing."

"Her soul is not in Heaven, Hell or Earth. It's like she's been wiped out from existence."

"She couldn't be wiped from existence. That's just the sort of things that doesn't happen."

"We tried to ask Gabe if he knows what she was doing the night she disappeared –"

"Avoided the topic before running away?"

"How did you know?"

"Cas did the same thing."

"So, we can assume both of them knows?"

"Pretty much, yes."

"Well, isn't that _great_."

"Tell me about it."

.

"Chessi, it's Morgan. It's been two weeks and Strauss wants us to drop it and work on the other cases but we can't. I can't. Hotch backed away because of the Reaper and now I'm Unit Chief. Oh, God, please, tell me the Reaper didn't get you. Please, tell me _nobody_ got to you."

.

"It's been three weeks and we're getting nowhere."

"That doesn't mean we should just give up!"

"We're not calling a cold case. All I'm saying is that you're spending too much of your time –"

"We've got a missing team member!"

"Exactly, Agent Morgan. That means, with all the respect to Agent Chess's memory, that you're a man down. I respect it that you won't try to replace her. I _understand _it. But you need to go back to working cases. And that is an order."

.

"Strauss is a bitch. Just so you know."

.

"It's Spencer. It's been exactly a month. Strauss forced us off the case. I just… I guess I just wanted to update you."

.

"They're forcing us to go to consult now. I'm trying to tell them we don't need it because you'll come back but they're not listening. Calling here… it's better than ten hours of therapy. Probably not so healthy, though. We need you, Chessi. Please, come home."

.

"Hey, it's Sam. Bobby told us you were missing and I know that calling probably won't bring you back but… the world is screwed enough even without you getting into trouble, alright? You're supposed to be the one who's _safe_, away from all this shit that is our lives. So you need to be okay, alright? You just… be okay."

.

"It's Daniel. I heard the phone ringing from the other room while I called. If I didn't want to cry so hard, I probably would have laughed. Jenna is exactly six months old today. She needs her mom. She needs you. _I_ need you. So please, just… just come back, will you? Please."

.

"They've got nothing?"

"Their chief told them to drop the case."

"But she's out there, somewhere!"

"It's been two months."

"Come on, Bobby, don't tell me you've given up!"

"I haven't. You know I haven't. But, Dean, even Cas can't find her. He says it's like she's been wiped from existence."

"Well, Cas isn't really such a powerful angel at the moment, is he?"

"They're _trying_. He's trying. But we need to face the truth, she may not –"

"Don't you dare say it, Bobby. Don't you _dare_. She'll come back. She'll be fine. You know why?"

"Dean –"

"She'll be fine because there isn't any other option. She'll be fine because she _has_ to be fine. She just has to."

"I know. But even so… we could be wrong."

"No, we can't."

"Dean…"

"We can't, okay? So stop suggesting it."

.

"Exactly nine weeks since you disappeared and I'm starting to lose hope here, Chessi. I need you to prove me wrong – to prove Strauss wrong. I need you to come back. Come home."

* * *

It only took a moment after we managed to find out what to do.

One second, I was standing next to Gabriel, in the odd place that was so much like home yet none of it at all, thinking about Jenna and Daniel, about my team and the brothers who knew who I was, about _my_ Bobby and _my_ Gabriel and _my _world. The next, I looked at the familiarity of my living room at my house, tears rising to my eyes.

For a couple of minutes, I could do nothing but stare. It was so surreal, after over two months, to be here again. I passed my hand against the furniture, trying to convince myself that it was, after all, real and not a creation of my imagination.

Slowly, I made my way up the stairs, looking at the pictures that hung on the wall.

_I really was here. I really was home. It worked._

My first stop was Jennifer's bedroom. She has grown so much since I last saw her, and was now sleeping in her bed, safe and secured. That was what it was all about, all along. Keeping her safe. Safe from the angels, safe from the demons. Safe from the serial killers I hunted on a daily basis and the monsters my brothers fought against.

She was the one single perfect thing in the world.

I didn't pick her up, as much as I wanted to, because I was afraid she would wake up and the perfect scene would be ruined. Instead, I turned away and walked to the room where I knew Daniel was, hopefully sleeping this late at night.

Again, I started with just standing at the doorway, looking at his sleeping form. He looked so peaceful. But I knew him enough to see small lines of worry on his face. Sighing, I walked over and gently shook him awake.

"Who is it?" He mumbled, still half asleep.

"It's me." I said. "Diana. I'm back."

"Diana?" He asked in disbelief. "What… How…"

"It's a long story." I said. "And I promise I will tell you all of it. But not tonight."

"You're back?" He asked. "You're really back?"

"I am."

"Good." He said as a manic smile appeared on his face and his eyes turned pitch black. "Then that would make things much simpler."

Before I knew what was happening, I was thrown against the wall, struggling to breath.

"Daniel?" I asked in disbelief, refusing to understand what was happening.

"Afraid not." The demon said. "I took over about three weeks ago. Someone has to keep an eye out for when you'll come back."

"What?"

The demon sighed. "You really are _thick_, you know that?" He asked. "The Child of Creation. One would expect you to be a bit smarter."

"But…" I muttered, afraid. "Why?"

"Orders from up the chain of command." He said. "_Very_ high, if you know what I mean."

"No." I whispered.

"Yes." The demon smiled sadistically. "We've got you now. The spells we cast on your house made us know as soon as you arrived. About thirty demons are on their way here right now from different places around town. And you've got nowhere to run. Nobody can save you now."

"I disagree."

The somewhat low voice came from behind me as a man in a black suit appeared. I never saw him in my life, and yet there was something so familiar about him, something I couldn't quite place.

"Step away from the Child of Creation." He commanded the demon.

"Or what?" The demon asked.

The new person smiled wickedly, and suddenly I realized where I knew him from.

"Step away," he said, "or I will make you step away. And I don't like to play nice."

"Raphael." I breathed out and he looked at me impatiently.

"I'll be with you in a moment." He said before turning back to the demon and placing a hand on his forehead.

"No!" I screamed as my husband's eyes burnt out of their place and he fell on the floor, dead. "Daniel!"

"There was no Daniel in there anymore." Raphael said. "The demon would not have let him live. He would have died, sooner or later. At least he hadn't suffered, or had to sit there helpless while the demon possessing him killed you, or worse."

"But you killed him." I whispered.

"Haven't you been listening, you daft child?" Raphael asked. "He was already gone. I showed mercy by giving him a painless death."

I opened my mouth to reply that this wasn't mercy when a loud bang was heard downstairs. My head turned towards the door for a moment before I looked back at Raphael. Or, at least, where he was, since he was now nowhere in sight.

_What weapons do I have?_ I thought to myself. _I don't have any knives that would work against demons or angels. I can't remember any sigils. What happened to my sigils at the first place?_

White light coming from downstairs cut off my thoughts. An angel has just been killed. I don't have time for thinking.

I ran towards the fighting and found myself at the kitchen. I started taking out water, oil and salt and pouring it into bowls.

_"Exorcizo te, creatura aquae. In nomine dei patris omnipotentis et in virtute spiritus sancti."_

The phrase repeated itself time and time again as I blessed water and oil. When someone – I couldn't bother to tell if it was a demon or an angel – came running towards me, a simple flick of my wrist closed the door in their face.

After prepping myself up, I had two liters of holy water, two liters of holy oil, three cans of salt and a lighter.

All I could do was hope it was enough.

As I walked out of the kitchen, I saw my living room has turned into a battlefield. Bodies of angels and demons were everywhere – on the stairs, on the floor, even on the sofa. Three attackers came to me – demons, I knew, because of their eyes – and I opened the lid of the bottle of holy water and sprayed them with it.

They screamed in agony and I moved on to the stairs, pouring salt to stop them from coming through. The next to attack me was an angel whose halo I could clearly see and I poured holy oil on him. It didn't seem to do much, but I knew that would be the case so I stepped back and lighted the oil, sending a silent apology to his vessel as he burned out, screaming.

I kept clearing my way upstairs, occasionally using my powers when I couldn't use anything else. When I finally reached the top of the stairs, someone grabbed my and I dropped everything I was holding.

"Join us." The angel said. "Come with us, and your daughter will live. Choose us, and you will be spared."

"I will never choose you." I said. "And I will never choose them. I'm not a tool you can play with, nor am I someone you can threaten into your side."

"We'll see about that." He said, and suddenly I knew that whatever he was about to do next, there was no way it was anything good.

I felt something in my hand. It had the feel and weight of a knife, though how it arrived there was beyond my understanding. It didn't matter. I stabbed him in the chest, reaching the hilt of the knife, and bright white was coming out of him as the angel died.

Every angel and demon around me turned to look at me but all I did was to twist the blade in my hand as I looked at them.

"Bring it on." I muttered as they ran towards me.

Jenna's room was only a couple of feet away from me, but what with the demons and angels forgetting about each other and focusing on me, it seemed like much more. I didn't know if they wanted me dead or prisoner, but I sure wasn't about to find out.

When I finally reached the nursery, sweating, panting and injured, I was surprised to see a familiar figure already standing there.

"Stay away from her." I whispered.

"Why would I?" Raphael asked. "She really is quite remarkable… for an abomination."

"Please, don't hurt her." I said.

"I won't." He told me. "As long as you joined us."

"Please, I will do anything but that." I replied. "Anything at all, just not that."

"It's really a shame." Raphael sighed. "I would rather not to kill such a young girl."

A wicked smile crossed his lips and his Angel Blade cut into Jenna's small frame.

"No!" I screamed out, charging onto him but he was already gone.

My knife fell to the ground, clattering as I fell to my knees, hugging the miniature form of my six months old daughter.

Slowly, heartbrokenly, the lyrics of a song my mom used as a lullaby found their way to my lips.

_"Hey, Jude, don't make it bad,  
Take a sad song and make it better.  
Remember to let her into your heart,  
Then you can start to make it better."_

The words choke in my throat, the fighting continued around me, but it was as if I was in my own world, obliging to anything else.

_"Hey Jude, don't be afraid.  
You were made to go out and get her.  
The minute you let her under your skin,  
Then you begin to make it better."_

I could see an angel slowly walking my way, but couldn't bring myself to move an inch.

_"And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain.  
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders,  
For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool,  
By making his world a little colder."_

And as the knife tore his way into my lungs, no coherent thought passed through the grief and pain, other than the song.

_"Na, na na, na na na na.  
Na na na na. Hey, Jude."_

* * *

**A/N:**** If I told you that I had this chapter planned right from the start will you hate me? All curses and screaming in the reviews will be completely understandable.**

**My friend said I'm a bad, bad person for this chapter, and another nearly threw my phone at me when I showed her the last couple of paragraphs.**

**Clearly, though, the story isn't finished yet. There is much more to come.**


	25. When Death Tore Us Apart

**A/N:**** I didn't really have time to write this chapter, but I wasn't going to make you wait for it longer than usual, after the way the last one ended...**

**TB: One of my friends had hat respond, word to word, when she read it for the first time.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Criminal Minds.**

* * *

**"Somewhere, over the rainbow, way up high,  
There's a land that I heard of, once in a lullaby.  
Somewhere, over the rainbow, skies are blue,  
And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true."  
****_Over the Rainbow_**

I was floating. It was like flying up on clouds, care-free and calm. The world around me was white and bright, and I knew it should have hurt my eyes, but it didn't. Nothing hurt anymore.

My feet, which used to be sore, felt like marshmallow. The hand, which hurt from the grasp of the knife, was laid down beside me, soft and comfort on the cloud. The adrenaline, which pumped through my veins only seconds ago, amplifying my breathing and heartbeat, was gone, giving its place to nothingness.

Looking down, I saw no cloud, but instead only the world growing smaller and smaller. My fear of heights was suddenly gone.

I spent what felt like forever that way before I started descending.

A small sound of protest left my mouth, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. This was no place for any feeling of discomfort. Even when I lost height in an amazing speed, the world shooting towards me, I couldn't bother to feel anything.

And as the impact occurred, I found myself standing at the top of the stairs of my house, holding Jenna.

"Honey?" A familiar voice was asking from downstairs. "Honey, I need to put Jennifer at the day-care. Are you bringing her?"

"Coming!" I found myself saying as I walked down the stairs. "I'm nervous." I said. "Maybe I'll tell Hotch I'm taking another week off?"

"You know you can't, honey." Daniel replied, taking the baby from me. "And besides, sitting home all day isn't good for you. I can see how you're slowly driving yourself mad."

I remember that day. It was the first day I went back to the BAU after my shortened maternity leave. I was so nervous about leaving Jenna with people I don't know I almost stayed at home.

"I know you're right." I sighed.

"Of course I'm right." Daniel smiled.

My cellphone started ringing and I looked at the caller-ID. "It's Spence, I really gotta go." I leaned in and kissed Daniel softly. "I love you."

I walked out of the house to see a new scene taking place in front of me. It was my wedding day, Daniel was standing next to his best man and Garcia as Bobby is rolling on his wheelchair down the aisle, holding my hand. "Your Song" by Elton John was playing in the background once again, and we said our vows.

I was happy as if it was the first time I was going through all of this, and for a couple of seconds, I even forgot it wasn't my actual wedding day.

"May I have this dance?"

I looked up to see Ash standing next to me, asking Daniel for a chance to dance with me.

"Of course." Daniel replied, handing me over and we started dancing.

"I'm really offended with you." Ash said, smiling. "You didn't invite me to your wedding day."

"Well, you were dead." I said jokingly before the smile drifted from my face.

"Yes, I am." Ash said casually.

I stopped in the middle of the dancing floor and looked at him. Around us, people kept their conversations as if nothing was wrong.

"You're dead." I mumbled.

"Yes." Ash said again.

"How are you here?" I asked, backing away from him.

"How do you think?" He questioned, stepping towards me yet again.

"What happened?" I asked, holding my head in my hands.

"Try to remember." Ash told me and suddenly I did.

I remembered coming back home, I remembered the battle and Daniel being a demon. I remembered Raphael, placing a hand on my husband's forehead and stabbing my daughter.

"I'm dead." I said once realization came upon me. "Where am I?"

"Heaven." Ash said. "Your heaven, to be precise."

"I have a place in heaven?" I asked in disbelief.

"Of course you do." He said. "You hunt murderers on a daily basis. All of the BAU members have a place in heaven. As long as they didn't make a demon deal." He added thoughtfully.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Never mind that now." He said, taking my hand and leading me away. "There are some people who want to see you."

He opened a door and we found ourselves at the Roadhouse. _That must be his heaven,_ I realized. Before I had the chance to say anything about it, though, I noticed all the people who stood there.

I surprised even myself when the first person I ran towards was John, and he must have also been surprised but he held me tight nonetheless. Tears rose to my eyes as he whispered in my ear how proud he was and kissed the top of my head, holding me like he never wanted to let go.

When we finally let go of each other, I turned to the woman who stood next to him.

"Mom." I whispered and she pulled me into a hug – a hug I didn't get since I was four years old.

"I'm so proud of you." She said, tears shining bright in her eyes.

"I missed you." I told her.

"I'm here now." She said, finally letting me go and allowing me to look at the other people who stood there.

Jo and Ellen were there, of course, and they hugged me too and laughed about the trouble I got myself into. I cried into Daniel's arms and kissed him when he told me he knows about Jenna and that he forgives me entirely, and I held my daughter in my hands and wept for the life she would never have.

At a certain point, Ash walked out and when he returned, he held Haley's hand.

"The Reaper." Was all she said, tears streaming down her face as I held her hand. "Aaron killed him, and Jack is safe. That's all that matters."

"When?" I asked, crying.

"About two weeks ago." Ash replied for her. "He's back at his role as unit chief already."

"I'm sorry." I told Haley. "I'm sorry." I repeated to everyone else in the room.

"You have nothing to be sorry about." John said, reaching forward and holding my hand. "You did nothing wrong. You were wonderful."

"If I killed Foyet sooner…" I mumbled.

"You can't beat yourself up over this." Haley said harshly. "Don't you dare blame yourself on anything that happened, because that is an endless pit."

She hugged me as Mom rubbed circles on my back and John kissed the top of my head.

"And even though we have nothing to forgive you for," Ellen said, smiling softly, "you are forgiven."

Suddenly, the scene shuffled and everything started to lose focus.

"Mom?" I asked, distressed. "Dad!"

"I'm sorry." An all-too-familiar voice said as a new figure appeared in front of me. "They're not here anymore."

"Nick." I said, taking a step towards him before stopping. "You're not Nick."

"Afraid not, honey." Lucifer said, smiling. "Do you like this body, though? I picked it just for you."

"What are you doing here?" I asked. "How can you even be here? Aren't you banished or something?"

"Thank you for the reminder." Lucifer said coldly. "And I am not here, of course. Not really. I wanted to apologize for the way my demons acted last night. I never meant for you to get hurt."

"But you had no problem with killing my husband and daughter?" I asked.

"Collateral damage." Lucifer shrugged. "Besides, it wasn't them who did it. If I remember correctly, it was Raphael. He killed both of them. Don't you want revenge?"

"Not at the price of the Earth!" I said. "Nothing is worth it. And besides, I'm dead. What does it matter what side I chose?"

"It always mattered what side you chose." Lucifer said. "It mattered since before you even knew it. When I was still trapped in the cage, it mattered what side you picked."

"I won't pick." I said determinedly. "I won't ever choose your side, and I won't ever choose theirs. You are all just as bad."

"You will have to choose eventually." Lucifer told me.

"No, I won't." I said. "And now, if you don't mind, I'd like to enjoy my heaven."

And with that, I willed him to be gone and his image blurred away, making place for a happy afternoon with Bobby, Dean and Sam.

* * *

I was running. Running away from Zachariah and his goons who appeared in the middle of a Doctor Who marathon I was having with Spencer and Garcia. I jumped between memories I've forgotten I had, days I didn't know even happened, and found myself standing in a room that looked like it was a part of a museum as a boy who seemed like he was in his late teens sat next to a table.

I recognized the room. The angels took the Dean to it right before Lucifer was set free. And I vaguely recognized the boy, though I couldn't tell where from

He stood up and looked at me as soon as I walked in.

"Who are you?" He asked, afraid.

"Me?" I asked. "Who are you?"

"Adam." The boy said. "Adam Milligan."

Adam Milligan. Of course it was him. "Where are we?" I asked, rubbing my temples.

"I don't know." Adam said. "The angels brought me here."

"Well isn't that just great?" I laughed bitterly. "I mean, we're dead, man. Shouldn't we be out of all this shit?"

"You're dead?" Adam asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I was in my heaven when Zach dropped by and tried to bring me back to life." I said. "So I ran."

"You _what_?" Adam asked. "Are you crazy? He wanted to bring you back!"

"It's not like I have anything to go back to!" I called. "You should know better than anybody."

"You don't know me." Adam muttered.

"And you don't know me." I replied.

"Well, it could help if you'd have told me your name." Adam said and I cracked a small smile.

"Diana." I said. "Nice to finally meet you, Adam."

"Diana?" Adam asked. "Diana Winchester?"

"I prefer Chess," I said coolly.

"But you're the Child of Creation!" He called. "You can end the fighting! You can choose a side and they will _win_!"

"And what side should I choose?" I asked. "Should I go with the angels? The psychotic angels who killed my husband just because he was possessed by a demon? The angels who killed me in the first place? Who murdered my six months old daughter just because her father was one of them? You know Castiel, don't you?" I questioned. "He _fell_, just because he loved me and our daughter as much as I loved him. They punished him for it.

"Or should I go for revenge? Choose Lucifer and watch the world burn, along with however few people I have left? And no matter which side I choose, one of my brothers is going to die. Dean, Sam, or _you_." I shook my head. "I killed enough people. I won't let you get hurt as well."

"Diana." I turned at the sound of Zachariah's voice behind me. "Always the melodramatic."

"Look who's talking." I said. "You're the one who kidnapped me from my heaven."

"It was for a noble cause." Zachariah shrugged, before looking at my half-brother. "Adam. I see and your brother share the same refined palate."

"So, are we ready?" Adam asked.

"For what?" Zachariah asked and I rolled my eyes.

"What do you mean, for what?" Adam questioned. "For Michael."

"Oh." Zachariah said. "Right. About that… Look, this is never easy, but I'm afraid we've had to terminate your position at this time."

"Excuse me?" Adam asked, shocked.

"Hey, don't get me wrong." Zachariah said. "You've been a hell of a sport, really good stuff.  
But the thing is, you're not so much the 'chosen one' as you are…

"Bait." I completed the sentence for him.

"No, but what about the stuff that you said?" Adam questioned. "I'm supposed to fight the devil."

"I believe that would be Dean." I said, looking at Adam's expression all along.

It was like questioning a suspect. Saying things and looking at his expressions to see how much he knew and how he reacts. Or, in this case, how can I use him to my advantage."

"So, you lied about everything." Adam said.

"We didn't _lie_." Zachariah said.

"Yeah, they just avoided certain truths to manipulate you." I muttered.

"You son of a bitch." Adam said, before turning to look at me.

I could see the question in his eyes. It was so clear he didn't even need to vocalize it. I nodded once, and he stood up and threw himself on Zachariah as I created a door in the room we were out.

Dead or alive, I still had the powers of the Child of Creation, and I intended to use them as long as I could. I reached a hand for Adam, but he shook his head.

"I can't." he said, begging me to understand.

And as I ran out of the door, tears shining bright in my eyes, I was ashamed to say I did.

* * *

I found myself in the middle of a crowded street in what appeared to be New York. People were walking next to me, but it was as if I wasn't really there. Some of them even walked right through me. Nobody knew I was there.

Well, almost nobody.

"Would you like some Falafel?" A thin, sick-looking man asked, and it took me a moment to realize he was talking to me.

"What?" I asked.

"Falafel." The man replied. "It's made of Humus. Whatever that is." He added. "Surprisingly tasty, though."

"Um… Okay?" It was more of a question than a statement, but the man didn't seem to care. He handed me a round, white bread and I carefully took a bite. "It's nice." I said, uncertain of what else should I do.

"I think so, as well." He said, eyeing me carefully. "I wanted to talk to you for a while now."

"About what?" I asked, confused.

"About what you must do." He said and I frowned. "I do not expect you to choose Michael's side, especially after what happened the other night, but I need your guaranties not to choose Lucifer's, either."

"I never planned on choosing Lucifer's side." I reassured him.

"There is, however, a difference between what we plan and what is happening." The man told me. "For example, I suppose you planned on staying dead."

I looked at him for a moment, trying to comprehend what he was saying. The way he said it… it was almost… almost as if…

Almost as if I _wasn't_ about to stay dead.

"What?" I asked.

"Yes, the whole deal is very uncomfortable for you." The man said, waving his hand at me as he dismissed my question. "Trust me, I don't like it any more than you do."

"How…?" I asked. "Who are you?"

"I think, Miss Winchester," the man started, wiping his mouth with a napkin, "that you already know."

_When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "Come." I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth._

"But…" I said, unable to find my words. "But you… And Lucifer… He…"

"Using full sentences might be helpful for the conversation." Death commented.

"Lucifer bound you!" I called.

"Again." Death said. "Trust me, I do not like it any more than you do."

"You're bringing me back to life?" I asked.

"Apparently so." He said.

"I'll just kill myself again." I said.

"And I will only bring you back again, and you would waste otherwise valuable time for the both of us." Death sighed. "Until then, though, we have matters to speak of."

"Matters?" I asked.

"You have been dead for all of a couple of hours." Death said. "None of your team members had noticed your absence yet. Your brothers, in the meantime, being the utter idiots they are, went against the angels in an attempt to stop them. Zachariah is dead," he informed me, "and your half-brother has taken his place as Michael's vessel."

"Adam." I whispered, frightened.

"Castiel," the mere mention of the name caused my head to jump up, "has gone to great measures to help them, thinking you were gone and acting on despair. He is not gone," Death assured me immediately, "but tracking him down might be quite the difficult task.

"You, in about fifteen minutes, will return to the world of the living."

"No." I said determinedly.

"Yes." Death said coolly. "That is not a question, a request, nor is it a suggestion. That is a _fact_. One that you should start getting used to."

"I don't want to be back!" I called. "I have nothing to go back to!"

"That is a lie and we both know it." Death said, taking another bite of the Falafel. Mine was long forgotten by then. "You have your team, your brothers, your surrogate father and the angel."

"They all think I'm dead." I said, shaking my head.

"All the happier surprise when they find out they are mistaken." Death countered.

"But I don't want them to be mistaken." I said. "I was happy being dead. Calm, relaxed, for the first time since I was four years old. No Apocalypse to worry about –"

"Just because you didn't worry about it doesn't mean there was nothing to worry about." Death told me. "The Apocalypse is raging."

"But I was out." I said. "At last, I was out."

"And now you're back in."

"I don't want to be."

"But you are."

Tears started forming in my eyes. "Why?" I asked.

"Because Lucifer decided that way." Death said. "And, as for now, I don't have the power to overrule him."

"Can I…" I hesitated. "Can I ask you for something? In exchange for being brought back to life, can I ask something?"

"I will not bring your husband or daughter back to life." He warned me. "I don't like being fooled once and will certainly not be fooled _thrice_."

"I know." I said, sadly as I really did know. "But… can I ask you that if you ever encounter my brothers and they will do something stupid that will make you want to kill them – and we both know them and know that this day _would_ come – can you not? Kill them, that is. I know it doesn't always seem that way, but they have only the best of intentions. They really do."

Death observed me for a moment before nodding once. "You have my word for it." He said.

"Thank you." I mumbled, closing my eyes and waiting.

And such, with a gasp of pain and surprise, my eyes opened and I found myself in between the wreckage of my house, very much breathing, feeling and alive.


	26. Gabriel's Farwell

**A/N:**** Wow. I just finished this part of the story (Had a couple of weeks off studies and just wrote more than I slept) and this chapter is third from the end. Just... Wow.**

**It's not very long, and the one after that is even shorter, but the last one is over 4k words and following the events of "Swan Song".**

**This one is based on "Hammer of the Gods, starting from the point the last one ended.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Criminal Minds.**

* * *

**"Life isn't fair.  
It's just fairer than death, that's all."  
William Goldman, ****_The Princess Bride_**

Slowly, very slowly, I dug myself out of the wrecks. I knew I was at the nursery, as it was where I died, and from the corner of my eye I could see Jenna but I looked away.

_Breathe._ I told myself, choking back tears. _Deep breaths. There's nothing you can do to help her._

I crouched down, searching between pieces of stone and wood until I found the lighter and salt I held earlier. It was still the middle of the night, no more than a couple of hours after I returned. Otherwise, one of the neighbors would've called the police.

No more than a couple of hours since the battle, since Daniel and Jennifer died.

No more than a couple of hours since _I _died.

I crawled on my already bleeding hands and feet, making my way to where once used to be the garage. Thankfully, Darlin wasn't inside it, but she wasn't what I was looking for at the moment.

It took me another hour or so to pull the gasoline out, and another unknown period of time to pour it, along with the salt, over the wrecks.

_It's gonna stink._ I thought.

But I also knew it must be done.

The lighter clicked open, a small flame lighting the darkness of night before it was thrown onto what used to be my home, burning it down. Many bodies burned with it as I did my best to insure their rest in the next world before I took off on my motor and drove to Quantico.

I don't know how I managed to go through security looking the way I did, as it probably had something to do with my powers, but I managed to get to Hotch's office before I fell on the couch, sleep finally claiming my exhausted mind and body.

I was awoken a couple of hours later by the sounds of a conversation outside the office.

"Did you leave the door open?" A voice I managed to pin to Rossi asked.

"I never leave the door open." Another voice – Hotch's voice – replied.

My eyes remained closed as I heard two guns being released from their respective holsters and the door cracked open. There was a gasp of surprise – "Chessi!" – and my eyes fluttered open.

I looked at their faces, showing surprise and fear, and realized how I must've looked.

I hadn't took a shower in ages. The last time I did was before I even met Gabriel at the other world and since then I practiced, travelled worlds, fought, _died_, resurrected and burned a house.

It was safe to assume I looked worst to wear, and probably smelt not much better.

"What happened?" Was the only question that came out of Hotch's mouth as Rossi neared me and started checking me for injuries I knew he wouldn't find.

"A lot of things." I muttered.

"We were called early today because it was reported that your house was broken down and on fire and now you appear here after you've gone missing for over two months." He said. "What happened?"

"Like I said," I repeated, "a lot of things."

"You're not injured." Rossi said. "How are you not injured?"

"Chessi." Hotch's voice was stern and commanding. "What happened?"

So I told them. I told them I received a call in the middle of the night from Castiel, asking me to come and help, I told them I was stuck thirty years into the past and that I found myself at a different world. I told them I found a way back, and arrived late last night. My voice cracked when I recalled the fight, the deaths of my husband and child, my time in Heaven and my conversation with Death.

When I was done, neither of them seemed able to form words.

Luckily for them and unluckily for me, Garcia, who called everyone for briefing, interrupted us. Her surprised scream brought the rest of the team and I found myself surrounded by hugs, questions and stares.

It wasn't long before darkness found me again.

* * *

This time, I woke up in a small hospital bed. Reid was on the chair next to me, sleeping, and I could see Hotch talking to some police officers outside my door. I heaved a sigh, and Spencer's eyes opened.

"You're okay!" He called, suddenly holding my hand. "We were so worried. First you disappear and then you come back at your state and sleep for a week –"

"I slept for a week?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

"Nearly." He replied. "Hotch and Rossi told me about what… what happened. We also called Bobby but he has other matters on his head – Apocalypse and all – and Strauss said that if everything clears out, you could be back on the team in a week."

"Spence," I said carefully, "I'm not going back on the team."

"What?" He asked, confused. "Why?"

"There's an Apocalypse going on outside." I reminded him. "I turned a blind eye for too long, and all it ever did was hurt other people. I need to end this, because I'm the only one who can."

"What?" Spencer asked, confused. "How?"

"The Child of Creation." I said. "All I need to do is choose."

"So you're going to pick a side at the Apocalypse?"

"I already have." I informed him. "It cost me everything I had, but I have. I'm choosing team free will. But for that, I'm going to need Cas."

A week later, I was discharged and I hit the road in an attempt to find out information of my brothers' whereabouts. It seemed like I reached every place they were just after them, and the thought of waiting for them at Bobby's crossed my mind only I knew staying at one place for a long time would drive me crazy.

I can't let myself think or I'd break.

As I saw my plan, wasn't working, I thought of a new one. And the new one involved finding the whereabouts of a certain blue-eyed angel who was currently missing.

"Penny, I need your help."

The blonde sighed at the sound of my voice through the phone. "What do you need?"

"Search for white unidentified males, about 5"11'." I told her. "If there is eye color mentioned, rule out anything but blue. And…" I hesitated for less than a moment. "Search both ERs and Morgues."

"Will do." She said, typing. "I've got 74 matches. Are you gonna tell me what do you need it for?"

"You know I can't." I said, seeing a motel nearby and considering a stop. "I can't put you in danger."

"I'm using FBI resources to help you, Chessi." She reminded me. "I'm already in danger."

"Well, when you hacked into the FBI resources last time, you got a job offer." I said, smiling and deciding I need a break. "Maybe this time you'll get promoted."

"Shut up." She told me, but I could still hear the smile in her voice. "I'll email you the files."

"Thanks, Penny." I said, parking Darlin and walking towards the Motel manager. "You're a goddess."

"Tell me about it." She muttered as she hung up.

I paid in advance for one night at the motel before entering the room and taking a shower. When I was done, I opened my computer and entered my mailbox, checking if the files from Garcia had arrived yet.

To my surprise, the browser closed itself before the media player opened and a familiar song started playing.

_"So 1, 2, 3, take my hand and come with me  
Because you look so fine  
And I really wanna make you mine."_

I looked at the screen, trying to make the song stop, but it didn't even acknowledged I was there.

_"Oh, 4, 5, 6 c'mon and get your kicks  
Now you don't need that money  
When you look like that, do ya honey?"_

I tried to use my powers to stop it, but also knew I couldn't do it without ruining the laptop – the only possession I had left other than a couple of guns I bought, Darlin', and the clothes on my back.

_"Big black boots,  
Long brown hair,  
She's so sweet  
With her 'Get Back' stare."_

Slowly, realization came to me as I started looking around for the familiar figure. I found him sitting on the floor, not at all laughing as I expected him to be.

Slowly, I walked towards him and put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at me and I saw, for the first time since I met him, fear in his eyes.

_"Well I could see,  
You home with me,  
But you were with another man, yea!  
I know we,  
Ain't got much to say,  
Before I let you get away, yea!"_

"Gabe." I said. "Are you okay?"

"No." He mumbled, stopping the song before with tears in his eyes. "I thought it could make me feel better, but it didn't."

"What happened?"

"You know how we always laugh that I owe you one, you owe me one, and all of that?" He asked and I nodded. "Well, I'm not laughing now. I really need this favor."

I didn't hesitated as I asked, "What do you need?"

Tears rose to his eyes and he looked away.

"Lucifer is gaining power, and I can stop it for a while but it's got a cost I'm not sure I'm willing to pay." He said.

"I'll help you with anything." I said. "Not because I owe you one or you owe me one. You're my friend, Gabe. And sometimes… I hope you see me as one as well."

"I do." He said. "I really do. You're my only friend, the only one I have left."

"So, I ask again." I said. "What do you need?"

"Diana." Fear rose within me as the severity he never showed came up. "I need you to help me not die."

A feeling of determination filled me and I took a deep breath, relieving at the feeling of usefulness once again.

"Alright." I said. "Tell me what's happening."

* * *

I was hidden on the ceiling of the Elysian Fields motel. I made sure to stay hide myself without my powers, in order to make sure Lucifer didn't notice anything was wrong.

Gabriel handed Dean the edited copy of Casa Erotica to be watched at the event of his death before pushing Lucifer away seconds before the latter killed Kali – the only one he ever loved.

"Lucy." He said as his brother stood up. "I'm home." Lucifer made a move towards Kali but Gabe raised his angel blade at him. "Not this time." He said as he pulled her up.

She leaned on him and I could see the way he cherished it, knowing this could be the last time he saw her, in case our plan failed to work and, more than likely, also in case it did. I wondered what would I have done the last time I saw Daniel, had I known.

Probably told him just how much I loved him.

"Guys!" I was brought back to reality by Gabriel's call as my brothers moved forward and took Kali away. "Get her out of here."

"Over a girl." Lucifer said, mocking, as the two humans and the goddess walked out. "Gabriel, really? I mean," his smile was almost mocking, "I knew you were slumming, but I hope you didn't catch anything."

"Lucifer." Gabriel said and I could just see how every word pained him. "You're my brother, and I love you. But you are a great big bag of dicks."

Lucifer looked at him with rage. "What did you just say to me?"

"Look at yourself." Gabriel insisted. "Boo-hoo. Daddy was mean to me, so I'm gonna smash up all his toys."

"Watch your tone." Lucifer warned.

"Play the victim all you want." Gabe went on, as if oblivion to his brother's warning. "But you and me, we know the truth. Dad loved you _best_."

The sadness in his eyes was so familiar to me. It was the same sadness that appeared whenever I spoke of John.

_Because John loved Sam best._

"More than Michael."

_More than Dean, who was forced to grow up too fast, always on the lookout for monsters._

"More than me."

_More than the twelve years old girl who was left at Bobby's house all the time, cut away from her family._

It was clear as day why Sam was to be Lucifer's vessel, at moments like this. But there was still one major difference between the two of them.

"Then he brought the new baby home," Gabriel said, "and you couldn't handle it. So all this is just a great big temper tantrum. Time to grow up."

"Gabriel," Lucifer said carefully, "if you're doing this for Michael –"

"Screw him." Gabe cut him off. "If he were standing here, I'd shiv his ass, too."

"You disloyal –"

"Oh, I'm loyal." Gabriel went on, and the three of us knew he was pushing the limits. "To them."

"Who?" Lucifer asked. "These… So-called gods?"

Gabriel sighed in despair. "To _people_, Lucifer. _People_."

"So you're willing to die for a pile of cockroaches?" Lucifer questioned. "Why?"

"Because Dad was right." Gabriel said. "They _are_ better than us."

"They are broken, flawed abortions." Lucifer said.

"Damn right they're flawed." Gabriel countered. "But a lot of them _try_ to do better. To _forgive_. And you should see the spearmint rhino." He shook his head sadly. "I've been riding the pine a long time, But I'm in the game now. And I'm not on your side _or_ Michael's. I'm on theirs."

_Team Free Will._

"Brother," Lucifer warned, "don't make me do this."

"No one makes us do anything." Gabe told him.

"I know you think you're doing the right thing, Gabriel." Lucifer told him. "But I know where your heart truly lies."

And without the need for a cue, I knew this was the moment I waited for. The fake Gabriel appeared behind Lucifer, preparing to attack, and with one swift motion the devil pushed the Angel Blade into his heart.

I knew it wasn't real, but I still had to stiffen my scream.

Lucifer looked into fake Gabriel's eyes when he spoke again. "Here."

He looked back to see the real Gabriel dissolving, in a plan I knew better than anyone, and as he reappeared next to me, both of our strengths were needed.

"Amateur hocus-pocus." Lucifer said, holding what he thought to be his brother's head in one hand as the other dug the knife deeper. "Don't forget. You learned all your tricks from me, little brother."

The knife twisted and my entire entity focused on creating the white glow that came out of the fake's eyes and mouth. In the light that blinded everything, Gabe created the outline of burnt wings – his wings.

Lucifer took two more deep breaths before walking away, and finally, Gabriel let himself break.

He cried for the father he missed more than anything. He cried for the fight between his brothers, and the way he was stuck in the middle.

He cried for the realization that, have I been gone, he would have died at the hands of his own brother. Because Lucifer was right. Gabriel did learn all his tricks from him. But I still had some of my own.

And I have lost enough in this stupid, petty war.

* * *

"So." I told Gabe hours later, when we both calmed down and sun started showing at the horizon. "What are you gonna do next?"

We were standing in my motel room, after he brought us here, and now he was going away once more.

"I think I'll lay low for a while." He said. "Take a break from all the Trickster-Archangel-Apocalypse crap. I heard Norway's beautiful this time of the year."

"Really?" I laughed. "What are you gonna go by? So I'll know what to search for when this is all over."

Gabe looked thoughtful. "I was thinking… Loki. Just kidding." He added, smiling at the look on my face. "Tom Iker."

"You do look like a Tom." I said with a smile.

"It was my vessel's name." Gabriel admitted. "Not the 'Iker' part, though. That's all me."

"You're insufferable." I laughed.

"But you love me anyway." He said with a smile as he pulled me to a hug.

"I'm gonna miss you." I whispered into his shoulder.

"This isn't goodbye." He told me. "Once all of this is over, I'll visit."

I smiled sadly, knowing I will barely see him anymore and that even if I would, things won't ever be the same.

"Stay safe, would you?" I asked. "I didn't go through all this trouble just so you could die on me now."

"I'll stay off the radar." He promised. "Live like… like a human. At least, until you sort out everything."

"What if I can't?"

"You can." He told me as he pulled away from the hug and kissed my cheek. "I trained you. I know what you're capable of, and tonight was an excellent example of it. You are brilliant." He informed me. "Smart, powerful, and stubborn as hell. If anyone can do this, it would be you."

He disappeared, probably moving himself to Norway, and I sighed as I opened my mailbox and started going through the list Garcia sent me, listening to Jet's "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" and reminding myself to pay for another night at the motel.

* * *

**Review!**


	27. Salvation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Criminal Minds.**

* * *

**"There's no salvation for me now,  
No space among the clouds,  
And I feel I'm heading down,  
But that's alright."  
Florence and the Machine, ****_Lover to Lover_**

Five names.

That was all I had left of the list of unidentified people Garcia sent me. Five names.

I started with looking at all of the cases that had pictures in them. I found none and were both relieved and annoyed. Relieved, because most of them were pictures of the dead bodies, and annoyed because I still had twenty names on my list, scattered around the country.

Slowly but steadily, I started going from one hospital to another, seeing all these men connected to machines. Some of them looked nothing like Castiel, and some bore him resemblance, but all were not him.

And when I had only five names left – _five names_ – I had a dream of Cas calling Dean.

_Dean was just screaming at Sam, due to Sam's plan to say yes to Lucifer and then jump in the cage. I could see why Dean and Bobby thought it was a terrible plan, but Sam had a point. And it was only a matter of time until they realize it, too._

_"This isn't over." He warned as he picked up the phone. "Hello?"_

_"Dean?" The voice from the other end of the line asked._

_"Cas?" Dean replied, surprised._

_"Is he okay?" Sam immediately asked._

_"We all thought you were dead." Dean said. "Where the hell are you, man?"_

_"A hospital." Cas replied._

_"Are you okay?" My twin asked him._

_"No."_

_A couple of moments of silence passed before Dean added, "You want to elaborate?"_

_"I just woke up here." Castiel said. "The doctors were fairly surprised. They thought I was brain-dead."_

_"So, a hospital?" Dean asked._

_"Apparently, after Van Nuys, I suddenly appeared, bloody and unconscious, on a shrimping boat off Delacroix." Castiel explained. "I'm told it upset the sailors."_

_"Well, I got to tell you, man," Dean said, "you're just in time. We figured out a way to pop Satan's box."_

_"How?" Cas asked._

_"It's a long story," Dean said, "but, look… We're going after Pestilence now. So if you want to zap over here –"_

_"I can't 'zap' anywhere." I could almost hear the air citation it Castiel's voice._

_"What do you mean?" Dean asked him._

_"You could say my batteries are drained." Cas replied._

_"What do you mean?" Dean repeated. "You're out of angel mojo?"_

_"I'm saying that I am thirsty and my head aches." Castiel said. "I have a bug bite that itches no matter how much I scratch it, and I'm saying that I'm just incredibly…"_

_"Human." Dean filled it out. "Wow. Sorry."_

_"Well," Cas went on, "my point is, I can't go anywhere without money for an airplane ride. And food. And more pain medication, ideally."_

_"All right." Dean told him. "Well, look, no worries. Bobby's here. He'll wire you the cash."_

_"I will?"_

_"Dean, wait." Castiel went on, cutting my brother off. "You said no to Michael. I owe you an apology."_

_"Cass, it's okay." Dean said quickly._

_"You are not the burnt and broken shell of a man that I believed you to be."_

_Dean sighed. Loudly. "Thank you." He said, sarcasm dripping off his voice. "I appreciate that."_

_"You're welcome." Cas said, hanging up the phone._

As soon as I woke up, I checked the records of the five men I had left. Only two of them were announced to be in brain-death, and one of them was at the right area. The right area, which, conveniently, was my next stop.

I sighed loudly as I walked out of the motel, not caring that I paid for another two nights to regain my strength, and took off towards the hospital.

Once I arrived and showed my FBI badge – the doctors hadn't as much as checked if it was still valid – it took less than five minutes before I was standing at the entrance to the room where Castiel was sleeping on the bed.

Hastily, I walked inside and sat at one of the chairs, reaching out and taking his hand in mine. His eyes fluttered open and fixated on my own, blue meeting green.

"Diana." He muttered.

"Cas." I whispered.

"You are alive."

I laughed at that, tears rising to my eyes. "So are you."

He sat up in his bed, cringing at the pain despite my assistance. "What happened to you?" He asked me.

"A lot of things." I said. "Raphael, for a start."

"Are you okay?" Cas asked quickly. "Did he hurt you?"

"I'm fine." I said, my voice breaking.

As it turned out, despite how hard it was for Cas to understand human emotions he knew me well enough to recognize mine.

"Who?" He asked.

"Daniel." I said. "And… and Jenna."

Pure grief flashed through Cas' eyes before he took a deep breath. "The only thing that matters," he said, "is that you're –"

"She was yours." I told him. "She was always yours."

Tears rose to Castiel's eyes. "I know." He told me.

"It _killed _her." My heart was breaking a thousand times again as I said the words.

"I know." He repeated.

"I tried to convince myself for a very long time that what we had meant nothing." I said, tears streaming from my eyes. "But that wasn't true. What we had… it meant so much I can't even put it to words."

"Diana –" Cas started but I cut him off.

"I love you." I said. "I don't think I said it before, and that is not okay. I _love_ you. More than anything."

"And I you." He said and I could hear his honesty – _feel_ it, with every fiber of my body. "More than anything."

* * *

Cas was discharged, after many arguments with the doctors and an infinite amount of badge-flashing, and we were on our way to where my brothers were. Or, at least, we were going to be on our way if Cas agreed to ride Darlin.

"No way." He said. "I'm not going on that… thing."

"Quit being a baby and come already." I said.

"I'm going to die." He insisted.

"You sound like Spence." I sighed.

"Dr. Reid does have an IQ of 187." Castiel noted. "Maybe he knows what he's talking about."

"Do you want to get to Dean and Sam anytime soon?" I questioned. Cas looked down, ashamed. "Then shut up and come on."

Reluctantly, Cas sat behind me on Darlin and put his helmet on. "If we're dying," he warned me, "I'm blaming you."

All I did was smile as I took off, breaking every speed limit on our way just for the kicks of it.

By the time we reached our destination, it was late at night and the place seemed abandoned. I could see the Impala parked, and knew Sam and Dean were inside.

"Thank you." Castiel told me. "For finding me and bringing me here."

"No problem." I said with a smile. "Should we head inside?"

He looked at me, dumb folded. "You're not coming."

"What?" I asked, confused. "Of course I'm coming!"

"Your brothers are inside." Cas noted.

"And so is Pestilence." I retorted. "If anyone's gonna be unaffected by him, it's gonna be me."

"You're –"

"The Child of Creation, in case you've forgotten."

"- Too important." He finished. "It's too dangerous for you there."

"I don't care." I replied.

"Diana." Castiel sighed.

"Cas." I retorted, using the same tone of speech as him. "I'll go away once we beat him, alright? I won't stay for long."

"You go and _hide_." He told me. "Don't search for demons, angels or anything. Keep off the radar. I need you to promise me this." I looked at him for a second, hesitating. "_Promise_."

"Fine." I said, holding his hand in mine. "I promise."

He kissed me once, softly and slowly, and I realized that for him it was the first kiss since I discovered about Jenna's pregnancy.

Then, he pulled away and we walked inside.

The place was a mess with dead bodies on the floor and beds. The more we moved, the harder it was for Cas to keep walking, so he leaned on me and we kept going. We walked towards the only lit room, where we found my brothers talking to what seemed like a middle-aged man.

Or, rather, lying on the floor, sweating, coughing and barely breathing, while he talked to them.

"On a scale of 1 to 10," we heard him say right before we opened the door, "how's your pain?"

_Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, "Come." I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer._

The door opened and we both walked inside. Dean raised his head just in time to see Castiel entering a second before I did.

"Cas." He muttered.

"How'd you get here?" Pestilence asked.

"With me." I said, walking inside.

Pestilence smiled. "What a pleasant surprise." He said, twisting his ring and causing Dean and Sam to grunt in pain, and Cas to fall on the floor. "Well, look at that." He smiled. "An occupied vessel, but powerless."

"Stop it, now!" I said, leaning next to Cas.

"Why would I?" Pestilence asked. "Can't you see the beauty? The pureness?"

"Right now, there's only one thing I can see." I said, reaching out a hand and finding my blade in my hand, just like the night Daniel and Jennifer died. "This."

I jumped to my feet, charging at him before holding up his hand and cutting his ring finger off. The demon who stood nearby jumped on me but I easily killed her off, looking back up at the scene in front of me.

"It doesn't matter." Pestilence said, holding his bloodied hand. "It's too late."

And then he disappeared, leaving us standing in the empty room. Dean took Pestilence ring and Sam stood right next to him, but I went to Castiel, pulling him to his feet and into my hug.

"I told you it was a good idea for me to come." I said.

"But now you need to keep your promise." He reminded me hoarsely.

"Cas," Dean said from behind us, "who is she?"

"Is that Gabriel's friend?" Sam asked.

We ignored them.

"Don't do anything stupid." I said. "Keep safe."

"Stay hidden." He told me. "Avoid Michael or Lucifer."

"You don't have to tell me twice." I said, leaning in and kissing him what could be one last time.

He kissed back for a moment before pulling back. "Go away, now." He said, sadness in his eyes. "And remember I love you. More than anything."

"And I you." I whispered as I ran out the door. "More than anything."

* * *

_"You're dating Gabriel's apprentice?"_

_"It's more complicated than that, Dean."_

_"Well, please explain it, then, because having someone like her on our side could be pretty damn good!"_

_"She's not a tool in this war."_

_"No offence, Cas, but she kinda is."_

_"Shut up, Sam." Bobby's voice brought the attention back to the matter on hand. "Cas." He said. "Is it who I think it is?"_

_Cas nodded, once._

_"Is she safe?"_

_"As long as she doesn't do anything stupid."_

_"Are you seriously taking his side on that?"_

_"Yes, I am! D'you got a problem with it?"_

_"Um… Yes!"_

_"Well, too bad! Cause that's final!"_

I woke up in a small motel in Georgia, nervousness filling me.

What if Dean was right? How much use could I be if only I was there, rather than here? Why did I have to make that stupid promise to Cas?

I groaned as I pulled myself out of bed.

I was _bored_. The "Sitting-On-Your-Own-When-You-Know-You-Could-Be-Helpful-But-Also-Knowing-You-Can't-Go-Away" kind of bored. And, let me tell you right here and now – that's definitely the worst kind of bored.

Sighing to myself, I pulled my laptop out of its case and opened it. During the last day and a half since I arrived here, I watched the CCTV in a five-mile radius, looking for any sort of familiar face.

My room was guarded against any sort of supernatural creature, using both omens I used during my years of hunting, things I learned from Castiel and omens I knew from my studies. Even if I wasn't sure a certain signal is even effective, I drew it just to be safe.

That made sure that every demon or angel that had managed to go through all of my defenses and track me would still be forced to bring themselves to a couple of blocks away, where I could capture them in cameras and be prepared in advanced.

I knew I would kill any of them on sight.

It was a bad way to think, but planning my vengeance somehow relaxed me. Dean and Sam encountered Death and took his ring – he pretty much handed it over to them – and the thought of ending it all crossed my mind, but I couldn't.

I promised Castiel I would stay safe. But more than that, I promised myself that I will not stop or rest until every single demon and angel that were at my house that night would be dead – wiped away from existence.

It helped me move on, one moment at a time.

Tonight was the night – the night Sam and Dean will go on with their plan and Sam will say yes to Lucifer. Tears rose to my eyes at the thought of my baby brother jumping into the cage, but I knew it must be done.

There simply wasn't any other way.

The body count had to stop.

We have all already lost so much.

I opened myself a beer, and thought what Spence would have said if he knew I was back to drinking. I didn't drink to forget, just to pass the time – or so, at least, I justified it to myself. Every hunter has a beer from now to then.

_Since when are you a hunter again?_ Asked the small voice at the back of my mind. _I thought you were out._

"I'm a hunter since those sons of bitches killed my baby." I said aloud, though I was alone in the room.

Did I really sink that low? Talking to myself? I talked to the team over the phone a couple of hours earlier but, apparently, it wasn't enough to keep my sanity.

The conversation was a hard one. I told them everything I could – to Spencer, Garcia and Rossi I told more than to the others – and promised that as soon as things got better I will return.

Even I didn't know if this was a promise I'm going to keep.

The picture on the screen changed itself every couple of seconds, but the main theme remained.

People. People. More people. An empty rode every once in a while. More people.

I was probably missing out so much, looking at the footage by myself, and with only one screen, but that was the best I could have done. I didn't have the money to buy an extra computer, and I couldn't – wouldn't – drag anybody else into this mess with me.

Things were bad enough as it was.

The hours ticked by slowly, one agonizing moment at a time. At a certain point, I tried to fall asleep – both to pass the time a bit quicker and to know how things were going on with Sam and Dean's plan. The nervousness kept me up.

I started an odd routine for myself during those hours of nothingness. CCTV, beer, checking my cellphone for messages and so on and so forth. It was slowly but steadily driving me insane.

I stopped for a shower I didn't need, only to do something other than what I was doing in the past hours. I took my time, both under the steaming hot water and later when I had gotten dressed. I didn't expect anything to happen while I was gone, since it was only fifteen minutes or so, but apparently I was mistaken.

I sensed him before I saw him. The tall figure looking outside the window and sending chills down my spine despite the steams that were coming out of the shower. He turned round and looked at me, the odd smile looking so unfitting on my brother's face.

Sam and Dean's plan clearly failed, and it was pure luck if my twin, Cas and Bobby were even alive by this point.

Because standing in front of me, dark halo nearly burning my eyes out, stood the devil himself, wearing Sam's skin.

* * *

**A/N:**** I know this chapter isn't very long, but it is one before last, I didn't have much to write and I had to end it where it was.**

**On the bright side, in four days I will update the next chapter, last one for this part and for Season 5 and named "Swan Song".**

**I hope you liked it, please review!**


	28. Swan Song

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Criminal Minds.**

* * *

**"I tried so hard, and got so far,  
But in the end it doesn't even matter.  
I had to fall, to lose it all,  
But in the end it doesn't even matter."  
Linkin Park, ****_In the End._**

Every day, when Penelope Garcia got to work, the first thing she did was to open up her mailbox. Today wasn't different from any other day, despite the small drama of last night, so that was the first thing she did as well. Open up her mailbox.

She quickly deleted some ads that popped on her screen and marked some mails from her charity work to go through later, when she had more time, when she noticed a message from Carver Edlund.

_Finally!_ She thought, knowing the new book was supposed to come any day now after what happened last night. What she didn't expect was that there would be two files attached.

**Swan Song.**

**Swan Song – Unpublished.**

"Hey, Garcia." Dr. Spencer Reid said as he walked inside. "What's going on?"

"Chuck just sent me his last book." She said. "There's an unpublished edition here."

"Do you want to read it?" He asked.

"I don't have time today." She sighed. "But I'll print it to you. Maybe it will help us take care of _her_, after…"

"Yeah." Spencer said. "I have some paperwork to do, but I would probably have time at lunch break."

"Sent to the printer." Penelope informed him. "I'll give it to you later today."

True to what he said, Spencer did have paperwork to do that day. He sat on it for a couple of hours before stopping for a coffee refill and noticing the stack of papers.

He looked at the clock, seeing it was already past noon, and decided a lunch break would be in order right about now. He looked at the first page, and started reading.

_Three hundred and fifty three thousand people are born every day around the world. Every single one of them has a life. A family. Some are notable, and some not. But it all starts the same way._

_Early on 1979, a girl was born. She was ordinary, as ordinary as you can get. _

_She had a mother and a father. She used to run and play with her twin brother. Shortly after she turned four, a baby brother was born. And two and a half months before her fifth birthday, her mother died._

_That was the point where things started messing up._

_Her childhood turned into nothing like you'd expect. She lived in roadside motels, took care of her younger brother along with her twin while her dad was ridding the world from the evil in it._

_For a long time, she thought him to be a superhero. Then, she didn't._

_Her father sent her to her uncle's house when she was twelve, after a nasty case involving a Demon – Lilith – and her heart broke. She barely saw her brothers anymore, she was fighting her way through high school, but she pulled herself out of the mud, left everything she knew and built herself a life. She managed as far as the FBI._

_She had friends and started a family. She built herself from scratch, slowly dealing with the difficulties of her job while fearing for her brothers' sake. Now it was them who were ridding the world from evil, and so was she, in her small way._

_While they hunted spirits and Rugarus, she put murderers behind bars. While they were in a hospital after a dangerous hunt, she was crushing at Bobby's and waiting for news. While they fought Demons and Angels alike, trying to stop the Apocalypse, she built herself a life, a family, and fell in love with her Guardian Angel while getting married to another man._

_She created herself a family, but all the while, she couldn't help but think of the family she left behind._

_And when the family she created died and her life started falling apart, she was sucked right back into the life she tried to leave behind._

_The devil was the first step._

* * *

I looked at Lucifer, and he looked at me back. For a moment, all we did was look at each other, before I found the ability to talk.

I planned to tell a joke. Something about the devil coming to Georgia, and a golden fiddle. Instead, the only word that left my mouth had a worried feeling to it.

"Dean?" I asked.

"Alive." Lucifer replied.

"And Bobby?" I went on. "Cas?"

"All fine." Lucifer reassured me. "Consider it my peace offer to you and your brother."

"Peace offering?" I questioned. "You plan to roast half the planet."

"If you join me soon, it will be less than half." He said, smiling.

"I told you before and I will tell you again." I said. "I will _never_ choose your side. Or any side, for that matter."

"And I told you before," Lucifer said, losing his patience, "you will have to choose eventually."

"I won't let you destroy the Earth." I said determinedly. "Either of you."

To my surprise, Lucifer smiled. "But you understand now that you will have to choose." He said thoughtfully. "At least it's a progress."

"You wish." I snarled.

"Unless…" Lucifer looked at me, starting to understand. "Unless you _do _plan to choose, only not us. Unless you plan to choose someone else, thinking we would both lose? Someone else, conveniently named… _Castiel_?"

"Go to hell."

"Been there, done that." Lucifer smiled. "But that's not the matter on hand. Give me one reason not to choose my side."

"Other than the fact that you're a maniac psychopath with terrible daddy issues?" I asked.

"Yes." Lucifer said, looking as if it was taking him everything not to kill me on the spot. "Other than that."

"You killed Nick." I told him.

"Just a guy you've met with fleetingly." Lucifer dismissed.

"You killed Gabe."

"And it hurt me terribly to do so." He said, and for the first time I could see he's being honest. "But it had to be done."

"That's the problem." I said. "You justify murder. There is _no way_ to justify murder. It's brutal, and terrible, and no matter what you think, it _cannot _be justified. The only difference between you and the people I put behind bars is that it's slightly more difficult to gain access to your bars."

"And you think you can do it?" He questioned.

"I know I will." I said. "And I think that is just what scares you." I slowly took a step forwards, looking into his eyes. "You're scared I'll succeed. You're terrified at being locked inside the cage again, for another millennia."

By that point, I was smiling almost manically as I saw the look in Satan's eyes telling my how right I am when he said, "You'll never make it."

"Maybe I won't." I told him. "But will you take that chance?"

"You're right." Lucifer said, smiling now as well. "I won't."

I knew what was going to happen before it did. Moving backwards, I escaped the hand that reached out to grab me and found, once again, a blade in my hand.

Lucifer's eyes widened in shock. "How did you get this blade?" He asked.

"Like what you see?" I retorted.

"I asked you a question." He said coldly.

"I don't know." I replied. "It just appeared."

"It's an Angel Blade." Lucifer said. "By definition, only angels have it."

"I can do almost everything an angel can do." I reminded him. "Apparently I have a blade. So what?"

"You're stronger than you should've been." He said. "Even with Gabriel's assistance, there's no way you can be that powerful."

"That's the thing about humans." I said. "That's what you, the demons and the other angels just fail to understand. We're stronger than you think, and that will be your downfall."

Lucifer was quiet for a moment, as if thinking about what I just said before a single sentence came from his lips.

"In your dreams."

He launched forwards again, this time also sending me to the wall but I was prepared. I focused on the chair next to the bed and threw it at him. He dropped me with surprise and I managed to cut him with the knife.

He screamed in pain, sending a lamp at me. It hit my side and, surely, it hurt, but I had one major advantage on him – I didn't mind fighting to kill.

It may sound heartless, seeing as killing him meant killing my own brother. Don't get me wrong, I knew it would break my heart to kill Sam, but how different is it already from throwing him into the pit?

If anything, it was merciful – that way he wouldn't be stuck in the cage with a pissed off Lucifer until the end of eternity. Or, at least, so I told myself.

In the end, it didn't seem to matter if Lucifer didn't fight to kill. The knife was thrown out of my hand and I lost my ability to move.

"I have grown tired of your games." He said, reaching out and holding me by the throat.

I blinked and found myself standing in a basement.

* * *

_Now, emotions, they are nothing more than electronic waves in our brain. One synapse sends information to another, and nothing more._

_In theory, that is._

_When we laugh, we don't care about the chemical reactions. We care about the joke. When we love, we care about the person in front of us. When we cry, we care about what and who we lost. And when we decide to give ourselves wholly to another person, it is not the chemistry that matters, but the intention._

* * *

As soon as we appeared in the basement, Lucifer let go of me and stepped forward.

"Stop." He said to someone I didn't see. "Stop it!"

For a moment, I could see the change on his face – from Lucifer to my brother and back.

"Fine!" Lucifer called. "I will let you talk to her! But if you try something, I swear I don't care – Child of Creation or not – I _will_ kill her. And she will suffer."

For a moment, I was confused. And then the look on his face changed and my brother pulled me into a tight, comforting hug. I hugged him back and he twitched when I touched one of his wounds – the wounds I created.

"I'm sorry." I said, tears swelling in my eyes.

"It's okay." Sam said. "I understand. Are you okay?"

I nodded. "He didn't hurt me." I said. "He needs me alive."

A look of pain crossed Sam's face. "The Child of Creation, eh?" He asked.

"Trust me, I didn't plan this." I said.

"I didn't plan on being Satan's vessel." He countered. "And… You and Cas?"

"It just… happened." I shrugged.

"I bet it did." Sam smiled but I could see he was holding back tears, as well. "I'd say I'm going to have a serious conversation with him about it, but…"

"I know." I said, and suddenly we were both crying. "I didn't want it to be this way." I wept. "This wasn't how the first time I see you again happens."

"I've missed you so much." He whispered into my ear. "Even before you left, I've missed you. And then you were gone, without even saying goodbye."

"It was all too much for me." I said, praying he would understand. "Being locked at Bobby's. I wasn't allowed to hunt, I wasn't allowed to go to college. I wasn't even allowed to make friends, to date."

"You were Daddy's Little Girl." He said affectionately.

"But I wasn't so little anymore." I told him. "I was eighteen, and living in a prison."

"I know." Sam said, rubbing circles at my back. "Trust me, I know."

"And then I was out and I was just… normal."

"But you got dragged right in." Sam said, and I knew he was talking about more than just me right now.

I mindlessly brushed away a tear from his cheek. "We both were." I whispered.

"You managed longer." He smiled. "An FBI agent? Who would've thought, Dee?"

"That's Supervisory Special Agent Chess for you, young man." I laughed.

"Yes, ma'am." He looked thoughtful for a moment before the smile drifted off his face.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing." He said quickly.

"I know that look." I said. "It's not nothing."

"It's just that…" He hesitated before saying, "You changed your last name."

"I wasn't a Winchester anymore." I said. "It didn't seem fitting."

"You're always a Winchester." Sam told me. "No matter what, you're family. For better and for worse."

"Blood isn't enough to be family." I said. "You've got to earn it."

"What about what you did back at 1978?" Sam asked. "Or at TV Land? Or just a couple of days ago, when you took Pestilence's ring? If you'd ask me, I'd say you earned it, fair and square."

"It still doesn't make up for everything else I did." I said. "For leaving, for lying, for hiding from you –"

"You had a new family to look after." He justified.

"And I failed, miserably."

A look of sad understanding passed Sam's face. "You have the look." He said.

"What look?" I asked, confused.

"The same look I had after losing Jess." He replied. "Who was it?"

I sighed in defeat and still-fresh grief. "My husband and kid." I said. "Raphael killed them, it was around the time you've saw Adam."

"What were their names?" Sam asked.

"My husband was Daniel Andrew McCloud." I said with a longing smile. "And we named my daughter Jennifer Mary but… she wasn't his."

"Whose?" Sam asked, confused.

"Castiel's." I admitted.

"Okay, we _really_ need to have that talk with Cas." Sam said and for the first time since before 1978, I laughed until I teared.

After I calmed down, I sighed and put my head to rest on Sam's shoulder. "I've missed you." I said.

"And I've missed you." He echoed. "I want you to know that no matter what happens next, I –"

"I know." I told him. "And I want you to remember that… me too."

"I know." He said.

We sat there for another couple of minutes before I felt, rather than saw, Sam's posture changing. Almost immediately, I jumped backwards, as if I were burned.

"Really, Diana." Lucifer said, and it was all too much for me to see it on my baby brother's face so soon after talking to him. "I'm offended."

"Good." I said, looking at him with unhidden disgust.

"Well," Lucifer sighed, "we really must be going now. And I'd simply _hate_ to hurt you more than I already had. It makes my vessel terribly upset."

"He has a name." I said through gritted teeth.

"Is this really important now?" He asked.

"Yes!" I called, annoyed.

"Fine." Lucifer frowned. "It makes _Sam_ terribly upset. Now, if you please."

I took a deep breath to prepare myself as I stepped forward, into his reach and he put his hand on my shoulder.

During the moment before we moved again, I looked into his eyes and tried to find a trace of my little brother, trapped inside his own body.

"It's okay." I whispered and we disappeared.

* * *

_The girl swore that she would do whatever it takes to protect her family. She discovered powers, and had learned to use them so that she could keep them safe, to the best of her abilities. _

_Sometimes, though, the best of our abilities isn't enough._

_Demons and angels entered her house, and killed her husband and child. She fought with all her might, died and was resurrected to 'A world of nothing but pain.' Her words, not mine._

_She had no choice but to enter the world she ran away from for over a decade, as she was a key to the peace that she wished for so badly. Sadly, she was also the key to the end of everything she had left._

* * *

I was bound, gagged and invisible, as the two Archangels looked at one another, ready to begin the battle of Armageddon.

"What about her?" Michael, in the form of Adam, asked, nodding his head at me.

"She won't choose." Lucifer said, using Sam's voice. "So she will be the prize for the winner."

_I'm not an object!_ I wanted to scream but, obviously, couldn't.

They looked at one another, each of them ready to give that first blow, when "Rock of Ages" by Def Leppard started playing full volume and Dean drove the Impala into the cemetery.

_No. _Was the first thing I thought. _No. Dean was supposed to be the one who's safe! It's bad enough that I'm in this mess, that Sam is, that Adam… Dean was supposed to be the one who walks out, alive._

"Howdy, boys." He said as he parked the car and walked out. "Sorry. Am I interrupting something?" He closed the car door and walked towards Lucifer. "Hey." He said. "We need to talk."

"Dean." Lucifer sighed as he and Michael exchanged homicidal looks. "Even for you, this is a whole new mountain of stupid."

For the first time ever, I actually agreed with what he said.

"I'm not talking to you." Dean said. "I'm talking to Sam."

"You're no longer the vessel, Dean." Michael said. "You got no right to be here."

"Adam," Dean said, looking at the body of our half-brother, "if you're in there somewhere, I am so sorry."

"Adam isn't home right now." Michael said, almost amused.

"Well, then you're next on my list, buttercup." Dean told him. "But right now, I need five minutes with him." He shook his head at Sam's direction and Michael lost it.

"You little maggot." He sneered. "You are no longer a part of this story!"

"Hey, Ass-Butt!"

Four heads turned to the direction of the voice as Lucifer, Michael, Dean and I saw Castiel standing next to Bobby and throwing a bottle on Michael. The bottle broke and its contents spilled, burning Michael away as he screamed.

"Ass-Butt?" Dean asked.

"He'll be back, and upset." Cas said. "But you got your five minutes."

"Castiel." Lucifer said, his voice dangerously calm. "Did you just Molotov my brother with holy fire?"

"Uh…" Castiel looked afraid. "No?"

"No one dicks with Michael but me!"

He clicked his fingers and just like at Chuck's house, Castiel exploded into tiny pieces that spluttered all around.

"_No!_" The gag disappeared from my mouth just in time for me to let the scream out. "Cas! No!"

Bobby and Dean looked around, confused.

"Baby doll?" Dean asked. "Is it you?"

"You killed him!" I screamed at Lucifer, ignoring my brother. "You _killed_ him!"

"I would have done it sooner or later." Lucifer said. "You should be grateful it was quick and painless."

"You monster!"

Lucifer flicked his risk and suddenly I was choking and gasping for air. Bobby raised his gun and shot at him but all Lucifer did was to flick his wrist again and Bobby's neck broke.

"Quiet." He told me. "The grown-ups talk now."

"Sammy, can you hear me?" Dean asked, his voice on the verge of tears.

"You know," Lucifer said, magnifying every stop in his speech with a punch. "I tried to be nice. For Sammy's sake. But you are _such_ a pain in my ass." And with that, he threw Dean at the car.

"Sammy?" Dean asked. "Are you in there?"

"Oh, he's in here, all right." Lucifer said manically. "And he's gonna feel the snap of your bones. Every –" Punch "– single –" Punch "– one. We're gonna take our time."

"Sam, it's okay." Dean said through his broken jaw. "It's okay. I'm here. I'm not gonna leave you."

And even though Dean kept saying it was okay, I knew it wasn't. And I was _raged_.

The invisible bounds that held me together snapped and I stood up, my powers knocking Lucifer away from Dean. Glowing white light came out from me but I paid it no attention as I raised my hand and focused on Sam's consciousness.

Once again, I could see the way Lucifer was gone from his features and my brother returned.

"It's okay, Dean." He said. "It's gonna be okay."

"Hurry up." I said, tears streaming from my eyes at the effort it took to fight Lucifer's control. "I can't hold it for much longer."

Sam pulled the four horsemen rings out of his pocket and chanted the spell to open up the cage. He stood on the edge, ready to jump in, when Michael returned.

"Sam!" He called over the raging of the portal. "It's not gonna end this way! Step back!"

"You're gonna have to make me!" Sam called back.

"I have to fight my brother, Sam!" Michael said. "Here and now! It's my destiny!"

I sunk to my knees as the effort started being too much and I knew any second I was going to lose the tiring battle. It was just at this moment that Sam grabbed Adam's body and they both fell into the cage, trapped there with Michael and Lucifer.

The light was still coming out of me, somehow returning me my strength and allowing me to go on just a bit longer. I remembered the grief and agony I felt the last time I lost Castiel and focused on that, picturing him in my mind's eye. He appeared in front of me and I moved forward to hold him, but he backed away from the light.

I stopped, knowing I only had another minute of grace at best if I wanted to do anything else. Zachariah's words from 2014 rang in my head.

_As much as you hate to believe it, you're not ready for the family reunion just yet, and neither is he._

I knew it was probably the most painful thing I ever had to do, but I also knew that if I ever wanted to give Dean his shot at having a normal life it had to be done. I leaned next to him and looked into his green eyes, identical to mine.

"Diana?" He asked, disbelieving, before I put two fingers to his head and he passed out.

The light died off and I was left with Castiel at the cemetery, exhausted.

"What did you do?" He asked.

"Gave him another shot." I said. "When he wakes up, he won't remember I was here."

"Are you okay?" He questioned, concerned.

"I will be." I replied.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Take me back to the motel Lucifer took me from." I told him. "I'll take Darlin and go back to Virginia. Fix Dean. Fix Bobby. Let them go on with their lives."

"Are you sure?" Cas asked. "You can still change your mind, if you want to."

But my mind was already set up. I knew just what I was doing from this point on. Castiel brought me back to the motel and I collected my things before returning to Virginia, appearing on Garcia's threshold at two in the morning.

She escorted me to a motel, where we also met Spencer, and I told them almost everything that happened, knowing some parts had to stay a secret, for their own safety.

In the morning, they went back to work, where little did I know Garcia saw the mail Chuck sent her the night before. It included two versions of Swan Song – the first was the unpublished edition, the events that actually happened, while the second included the false memories I planted in Dean's head.

He stayed true to his promise to keep me out of the story until the final book was published.

At lunch break, Spencer sat down and started reading the unpublished edition, involving my conversation with Sam and my part at stopping the Apocalypse. As the book came to an end, he paled and ran to Rossi's office.

"What is it?" The older agent asked.

"Look!" Spencer said, shoving the last page of the story under his nose.

Rossi looked at him for a moment, confused, before he started reading.

* * *

_So, what does it all add up to? It's hard to say. But me, I'd say this was a test for Sam and Dean. And I think they did all right._

_Up against good, evil, Angels, devils, destiny, and God himself, they made their own choice._

_They chose family. And, well, isn't that kinda the whole point?_

_No doubt - endings are hard._

_But then again, nothing ever really ends, does it?_

_You could have seen the proof to that, a day or two later. A woman was sitting in her motel room, right outside Virginia. She just finished writing a letter, and couldn't help but remember a letter so much alike that, that she herself had received only three years prior. Herself and the person her letter was addressed to._

_She couldn't help but wonder - was she making the right choice? Was she doing the right thing?_

_Honestly? She knew from the moment Sam made that leap into the Cage._

_She picked up her Angel Blade, remembering the night she first found out she had one. She promised to take care of her family, to keep them safe. She broke that promise too many times for her to count._

_She wasn't going to make the same mistake again._

_It was a hard task she was taking upon herself, that much she knew for certain. Giving up the normal life she worked so hard to build for herself in order to help Dean maintain his._

_But her normal life were never normal, as she learned the hard way._

_She put the Blade inside her bag, finished packing her little belongings, and stepped out the door, leaving everything she was behind her in order to become someone else._

_SSA Diana Chess was dead now._

_After twelve years, Diana Winchester came back to life._

* * *

**A/N:**** I simply can't believe I finished part two. Just… wow. I love you all for reading it, and for sticking in with the last AN of this part. The next part will be uploaded in exactly two weeks and it will be named "A Threat on the Black Queen".**

**For now, though, I'd like to thank to all of the - **

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**And now… Sneak-Peak:**

"Are you good?" Dean asked.

"Yeah," Sam replied, before noticing me. "Diana."

"What?" Dean's head turned.

"Now is not the time," I interrupted, choking back the tears. "We need to find Cas."


	29. A Threat on the Black Queen

**A/N:**** Hi! Just dropped by to let you guys know that the third part of this story, "A Threat on the Black Queenn", is now up! You can find it in my profile if you like.**

**~mlr96~**


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